


lean on me

by parkerxheart



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Adorable, Amends, Birthdays, Bullying, Cheek Kisses, Completed, Crying, Cuddling, Cute Peter Parker, Dad!Tony, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Father-Son Relationship, Fever, Fever Dreams, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Insomnia, Iron Dad, Iron dad and Spider son, Lonely Peter Parker, Lots of cuddles, NOT STARKER - Freeform, Nightmares, Platonic Cuddling, Precious Peter Parker, Reunion, Scared Peter Parker, Scared Peter Parker again, Separation Anxiety, Sick Peter Parker, Sick Tony Stark, Sickfic, Sleep troubles, Sleepy Cuddles, Sleepy Peter Parker, Star Gazing, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Cries, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Wisdom Teeth, argument, kinda not really, like dude there is so much cuddling, lonely, more cuddles, pure fluff, spider son, tiny bit of blood, ya friggin nasties
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-03
Updated: 2019-07-27
Packaged: 2020-02-15 19:09:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 19,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18675721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/parkerxheart/pseuds/parkerxheart
Summary: Peter is just ridiculous, adorable, hilarious, and Tony freaking loves him for it, but he's also willing to be there for his soft, scared side no matter what.ORPure fluff IronDad SpiderSon fanfics that are one-shots :) And I apologize in advance for how much cuddling this contains.In order, this is how the chapters go:sleepy cuddles, nightmares, sick, wisdom teeth, tony's birthday, insomnia, rough day, bad patrol, peter comforts tony, sick II, peter calls Tony dad, text threat, sleepy, lonely, peter accidentally cutting himself, stargazing, argument, fever, lonely II part one, and lonely II part two.





	1. tired

**Author's Note:**

> arite people. This story will be all pure irondad fluff because we all need it after endgame. Enjoy <3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter has not slept in days and is acting completely adorable and ridiculous, and it's both hilarious and slightly concerning for Tony.

It would have been god freaking hilarious if Tony wasn't slightly concerned.

"Kid, why are you chugging a Red Bull like it's your savior?" Tony asked, curiously watching Peter completely drain a can.

"My blood flows with Red Bull," Peter responded, chucking the empty can aside.

"And you're littering in my lab," Tony said, watching the can skid across the floor.

"Your  _face_ is littering."

Tony bit his lip to smother a laugh. "You good, kid?"

"You know, I really like MJ," Peter said, looking up dreamily, completely bowling over Tony's question. "She can be rude but her eyes look like pots of honey and I just want to swim in them."

Tony actually laughed this time. "Alright, are you high?"

"Hm? No, I'm like 5'7," Peter said like it was the most logical answer on the planet. 

Tony laughed again and face-palmed. "The last thing I can expect from you is being high."

"Are you calling me short?" Peter exclaimed with an offended look over his face. "I'm almost as tall as you!"

"Oh my god, Peter," Tony snorted, wrapping an arm around Peter's shoulders. "Look at me for a second?"

For some reason, Peter just laughed at that like it was the most hilarious thing on the planet. "I don't even know why I'm laughing!"

Tony glanced at the Red Bull can and then back at Peter. "When was the last time you slept?"

"I dunno," Peter said with a shrug. "Five or somethin'."

"Five days?" Tony asked.

"I  _think,_ " Peter said, looking down to count his fingers. "It could be six."

"How many Red Bulls have you chugged?" 

"I . . . don't . . . know?"

"Why the hell have you stayed awake for practically a week?"

Peter looked up pensively. "I have a few exams that I need to study for plus a big project in like every class. Sleep is for the  _weak._ "

"Okay, time for you to take a nap," Tony said, directing Peter to the elevator with an arm still around his shoulders. "You're taking after me, kid. It's unhealthy."

"Noooo," Peter mumbled, pathetically trying to wiggle out from under Tony's arm. "I don't  _wanna._ "

"Well we can't get everything we want, now can we?" Tony held him firmly under his arm the entire ride up the elevator. With anyone else, there would be no possible reasoning for this behavior other than drugs, but this was just Peter. He was just  _tired._  

Tony practically dragged Peter into his room at the compound and had to haul him into the bed. "But I have an exam," Peter tried to protest, but Tony pushed the front of his face onto the pillow with his hand.

"Nope. Face. Pillow. Now." Tony held his hand there, acting as some form of blindfold. 

Peter was quiet for a few seconds. "Can you lay with me?"

Tony raised an eyebrow at that. "Uhh, sure. Move over."

Peter shuffled to the side and Tony removed his hand and flopped onto the bed next to him, laying atop the covers since he didn't plan on staying that long. Peter's head immediately fell onto his shoulder as the kid snuggled up against him with a comforted sigh.

"So you want to be cuddled?"

"Who doesn't?" Peter replied sleepily.

Tony smiled fondly and wrapped his arm around Peter and tugged him closer to his side, Peter sinking into the embrace instantly. "Is this what you do with Pepper?" Peter asked with another sigh.

"Sometimes," Tony said. "Depends on if I end up getting to bed in time to have the energy to."

"And you do now?"

"I haven't been awake for five days straight, kiddo," Tony said, tapping Peter's shoulder twice with his index finger.

"It's not my fault," Peter mumbled. "Stop  _blaming_ me."

Tony snorted. "Okay, kid. Sure."

Peter cuddled up more to his side and Tony rolled onto his side to wrap both arms around Peter and have the kid's back against his chest. They'd only ever hugged a few times so this was a big step up. But Tony knew Peter loves physical affection and hugs and anything of the sort, and he found he didn't really mind it either.

"This is nice," Peter said with a sleepy sigh. 

Tony just smiled. "Go to sleep, Pete."

"Mm," Peter mumbled. 

It was only about two minutes before Peter drifted off into dreamland. 

Tony continued to hold him affectionately, even though his arm was going numb under Peter's head. 

Eventually, he wriggled his arm carefully out from underneath Peter's head and quietly climbed off the bed. He looked down at the kid sleeping peacefully after staying awake for five days straight and almost chuckled. 

"FRIDAY, you were recording Peter acting like a doofus, right?" Tony asked the AI once he returned to the lab. 

"Of course, Boss."

"Would you mind storing it in a new file?"

"What shall I name this file?"

"Spider-Kid," Tony responded.

"Adding," FRIDAY said. "Complete. New file titled  _Spider-Kid_ has been made."

"Thanks, FRI," Tony said, smirking. If any other days were gonna be like today, Tony was quite excited to see what else Peter could pull out of the bag.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love IronDad :)
> 
> And speaking of, here are some songs that are very IronDad if I do say so myself:  
> Who You'd Be Today - Kenny Chensey  
> You'll Be In My Heart - Phil Collins  
> I Hope You Dance - Lee Ann Womack  
> Glitter & Gold - Barns Courtenay
> 
> They're all from Parkrstark's playlist on Spotify, and they're so IronDad it kills me. I highly recommend you check them out.


	2. nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter has a bad nightmare and comes to Tony, who is more than willing to give him the comfort he wants.

Tony sat against his bedframe, mindlessly working on his StarkPad at midnight when the light from the doorway was blocked out. Tony looked over the StarkPad and saw the figure of Peter standing there, shoulders hunched over, head drooping.

"Kid?" Tony said softly. 

"H-hi," Peter whispered.

Tony tossed the StarkPad onto the nightstand. "What's up? You okay?"

"I- um . . . I had a nightmare," Peter said quietly, looking down. 

"It's okay, kid," Tony said. He patted the spot next to him. "C'mere."

Peter shuffled over to the bed and climbed over onto that section and curled into a ball on his side. Tony rolled over and finally got a good look at the kid's face. His eyes were puffy and red and the light from the doorway glinted off the tears rolling down his cheeks. 

"Hey," Tony said softly. "What did you dream about?"

"My uncle," Peter whispered, his face scrunching up as tears seared from his eyes, sliding into his hairline. 

Immense empathy surged in Tony's heart. "Oh."

"it- it sucked," Peter said, beginning to cry. He covered his face with his arm, clearly embarrassed.

Tony reached over and pulled Peter into his chest so Peter could cry against him instead of his arm. He encircled his arms tightly around the teenager and felt how hard he was shaking. Peter pressed his face against the front of Tony's shoulder and sobbed quietly.

 _Jesus, it must have been really bad,_ Tony thought, heart breaking for the kid crying in his arms.

"S-sorry," Peter stuttered.

"It's okay," Tony whispered. "It's just me here. You can let it out."

Peter nodded and his sobs became audible a second later as the crying increased. Tony rested his chin atop Peter's messy head of curls and muttered quiet condolences to try to help Peter calm down, the kid still shaking like a motorbike and crying hard.

"It's okay," Tony murmured. "You're okay. Nothing is going to hurt you."

Peter hiccuped on a sob and melted further into the hug. Tony could feel the tears start to soak through his shirt but didn't care in the slightest bit.

When the sobbing died down to sniffles, Tony spoke up. "What happened in the dream, bud?"

Peter sniveled and shifted so he could wipe his face with his hand. "It- it was what happened when he was shot . . . but- but it was a little- a little bit different because it was the Vulture who killed him."

"Oh," Tony said softly. "God, kid, that's rough."

"It f-fucking sucked," Peter hiccuped. 

"I'll bet," Tony said. "I still have nightmares about my parents' deaths. It's normal."

"So I'm not going to  _stop_ having them?"

_Fuck._

"No no, I'm just the poster-child of PTSD so it's different for me," Tony said quickly. "How often do you get them?"

"Once or twice a month, sometimes a little more," Peter said softly.

"What do you do when you get them at home? Do you tell your aunt?"

Peter shook his head. "N-no. I don't wanna bother her. I just lay there and- and cry, usually."

"You know you can always call me if you need to," Tony said. "You have no idea how late I'm up sometimes." He smirked. "Still doesn't beat the whole Red Bull thing the other week."

Peter giggled a little bit and Tony mentally fist pumped. "I should get a medal for that."

"It was impressive, I'm not gonna lie. But also extremely unhealthy for growing Spider-Kids."

"I'm not a kid."

"Right."

"I'm  _not._ "

"Yeah, yeah, I believe you," Tony said sarcastically, quite happy that Peter was recovering somewhat. "Short stack."

"Says  _you_ ," Peter scoffed. "I still have growing to do, and you're like sixty and an inch taller than me maybe."

Tony fake-gasped. "I'm wounded."

Peter laughed, but sobered up almost instantly. "I'm sorry for disturbing you."

"Oh, I wasn't sleeping and I was bored out of my mind, it's fine," Tony said, rubbing Peter's arm. "Like I said, you have no idea how late I'm up sometimes. I pull an all-nighter twice a week usually."

Peter sighed sleepily.

"You ready to sleep, kiddo?" Tony asked, looking down at him. Peter nodded and cuddled closer. "I know you love this stuff, so I'll keep hugging you. How does that sound?"

"Like a plan," Peter responded, his eyelids drooping as he smiled.

_This kid is too adorable._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I knowww, more sleepy Peter, but like come on. I live for this. I promise the next one won't be.
> 
> So more IronDad songs. I've been listening to the playlist for the last day or so and I love so many of the songs!  
> Not All Heroes Wear Capes - Owl City (omfg this one reminds me SO MUCH of Peter and Tony. I saw an edit and was like convulsing with sobs)  
> You Raise Me Up - Josh Groban (another that made me convulse with sobs also I love Josh's voice)  
> He's My Son - (they all make me convulse with sobs arite)
> 
> Hope y'all enjoyed!


	3. sick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter is sick, which he didn't think was possible, and tries to hide it from Tony. But nothing gets past Tony Stark. (His reflexes are too fast and he would catch it)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first time writing a sickfic, sooooo... let's see how it goes :)

The second Peter wandered into the lab, Tony knew he wasn't feeling that great. His face was pale and his eyes were red and there was sweat lingering around his hairline. Plus he was all snuggled up in his hoodie as if it were a blanket.

"Hey," Tony said. "You feeling okay?"

"Hm? Me? Yeah I'm good, how are you?" Peter said quickly, looking up with his red eyes and plastering a smile on his face.

"I'm peachy," Tony said, eyeing Peter suspiciously. "If you're not feeling too swell, let me know, okay?"

"Psh, of course," Peter scoffed like it was the most ridiculous thing on the planet. "What are we working on today?"

"I'm getting you water," Tony said, walking towards the door. "I'll be back in a jif. Don't do anything stupid."

"Me?" Peter said innocently.

Tony rolled his eyes and strode out of the room to grab a glass and filled it with water. "FRIDAY, tell me Peter's temperature please."

"101.8 degrees."

_Shit._

"Great," Tony muttered, carrying the glass back to the lab, only to see Peter with his head on the table, resting on his forearm. "You good, kid?"

Peter lifted his head as Tony placed the water next to him. "I'm not feeling too swell."

"Uh huh, noticed," Tony said, gently touching Peter's forehead with the back of his hand. "You're really warm, kiddo."

"I feel warm," Peter mumbled, wiping his sweaty hairline with his sleeve. "I didn't think it was possible for me to get sick with my weird spider powers, and I was so excited for that, but, ha, nope."

Tony smiled a little and brushed a curl off Peter's forehead. "Come on, let's get you laying down."

"No, Mr. Stark, I'm fine," Peter protested, swatting at his hand weakly, sniffling. 

"Does your head hurt?"

"Yeah," Peter said quietly. "A lot."

"Let's get you laying down then," Tony said, hauling Peter up to his feet by his biceps, Peter leaning against him almost instantly. Tony closed his arms around Peter's form, one arm around his shoulders and the other with a hand against the back of his head, pushing it against his shoulder. " _'I'm good'_ my ass."

"It's just a dumb cold," Peter muttered, wrapping his arms around Tony's torso and melting into the hug. "This hug is nice," he sighed.

Tony smiled. "I'll help you get to your room, alright?"

Peter nodded and pulled away from the hug. Tony's heart broke when he saw tear tracks glistening on Peter's cheeks. "You're really not feeling good, huh?" he asked gently, raising a hand to wipe the tears away, shocked by how warm his cheeks were.

Peter shook his head and a sob ripped through him. "Not really."

Once Tony finished wiping away all the tears, he wrapped an arm around Peter's shoulders and started guiding him out for the elevator to get to his room. He held Peter in a hug up the elevator and helped him get to his room when it opened.

Peter collapsed onto the bed the second they made it there.

"I'll grab you some Tylenol," Tony said quietly and Peter nodded, burying his face in his pillow.

When Tony returned with the Tylenol and a dixie cup full of water, he saw fresh tears on Peter's face as the kid lay on his back. "Hey," he whispered, placing the items on the nightstand and sitting down on the edge of the bed, reaching out to wipe away the tears, Peter leaning into the touch. 

He grabbed the cup and pills. "Can you sit up?"

Peter nodded and dragged himself up into a sitting position and Tony handed him the cup and pills. Peter filled his mouth with water and downed the pills with it before flopping back onto the bed. Tony put the empty cup on the nightstand and rested his hand against Peter's cheek, rubbing his thumb gingerly along his cheekbone.

"With your freaky spider powers, this should be gone by tomorrow or the next day," Tony said softly.

Squeezing his eyes shut, Peter nodded and two tears slipped from his eyes which Tony thumbed away gently. 

"Try to get some sleep, kiddo," Tony whispered, and moved to stand up and leave Peter in peace.

But a too-warm hand wrapped around his wrist and he turned to see Peter looking at him with teary eyes. "Don't leave."

Tony smiled gently. "Sure, kid. I'll sit here till you fall asleep. Sound good?"

"Yeah," Peter whispered, closing his eyes.

Peter did eventually end up falling asleep, his chest falling and rising rhythmically. Tony waited for about five minutes until he decided to leave.

About two hours later, FRIDAY said, "Peter just woke up from having a nightmare. His heart rate has risen drastically."

"Okay, thanks," Tony said, standing and hurrying to Peter's room to see him sitting up in his bed, hugging his knees to his chest.

His head snapped up at the sound of Tony's footsteps and Tony crossed the room to draw him into his chest. "Hey, hey," he said softly as Peter's breathing picked up before he grabbed him for a hug. "Breathe."

"It's just a dumb fever dream," Peter croaked, but melted into the touch nonetheless. 

"Yeah, and I know those things are a pain in the ass to snap out of," Tony said, holding Peter tightly. "I've had more than enough of those in my life."

"They suck," Peter sniveled. 

"Yeah, they do," Tony agreed softly. 

Sobbing quietly into Tony's chest, Peter wrapped his arms around Tony's middle. 

"Thank you, Mr. Stark," Peter whispered.

Tony stroked Peter's hair. "Of course, Spider-Kid. Anything."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why can I not stop writing chapters that have Peter being a lil sleepy cinnamon roll? This one not as much as the previous ones, even though I said no more sleepy Peter... this isn't that much sleepiness. So I'm not counting it :)


	4. loopy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: "It's been done a lot but maybe Peter gets his wisdom teeth out and is all loopy and like starts cuddling with Tony and is saying how much he loves him and all that cute adorable stuff and Tony is just sitting in the hospital chair with his heart melting."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got a prompt from my Instagram from toothinkidadallthat, and I was like "that's just so goddamn adorable I might just have to do it."

Turns out, Spider-Man is terrified of needles.

"Why?" Tony had asked, confused, looking at Peter as he fidgeted anxiously in his seat with legs swinging. He was about to get his wisdom teeth extracted, and since May couldn't make it, Tony volunteered to help out. Since the hilarious nonsense from the Red Bull incident, Tony was honestly kind of excited to see what Peter would act like.

" _Because,_ you're willingly having a sharp object just  _stabbed_ into you," Peter had said, playing with his hoodie strings. "And it hurts usually, and like, you fall  _asleep_ from it and that's  _freaky._ "

"Needles are fine, kiddo," Tony had said with a laugh, shoving Peter's shoulder playfully. "You'll live."

"But what if it isn't properly sterilyzed and I get an infection and die-"

Peter had to end up inhaling laughing gas to keep him from freaking out before he was quickly put to sleep.

"We'll let you know when he's done, Mr. Stark," the dentist said calmly.

"Alright," Tony said, heading out to the waiting room.

Around half and hour later, the same dentist poked her head through the door. "Mr. Stark? He's all finished."

Tony stood and followed her into the room where he was greeted with Peter Parker passed out in a bed with cotton balls in his mouth. 

"He should wake up soon," the dentist assured. "I'll be just a couple rooms down if I'm needed."

"Thanks, doc," Tony said and sat around in the chair until Peter finally woke up.

"Where m' I?" he heard in a very mumbled, quiet voice. He blinked his eyes sleepily, and looked around the room. His hair was a mess of curls on the top of his head and a few hung on his forehead.

"You're just at the dentist office, kiddo," Tony said with a smile. "You're fine."

"Why does m' mouth feel fuz'y?" Peter asked, reaching his hand up to feel the cotton balls in his mouth and Tony stood up quickly and grabbed Peter's hand in his. 

"That's to stop the bleeding," he said, holding Peter's hand in both of his.

"Wuz I attacked?" Peter exclaimed, trying to sit up and punch at literally nothing.

Tony gently pushed him back down. "No, you got your wisdom teeth pulled, remember?"

"How wise were they?" Peter asked, blinking twice.

Tony bit his lip to smother a laugh. "Real wise."

"You killed m' wise ones," Peter said, for some reason awfully upset about it. "You got rid of m' only wisdom."

Tony actually laughed this time. "I can tell you that you didn't really have any in the first place."

Peter sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "Your hand 's r'lly rough."

Tony remembered that he was still holding Peter's hand. "Is it?"

"I w'nna . . . I kin'a w'nna . . ." Peter trailed off. "I kin'a wan' snuggles."

Tony snorted. "You want snuggles?"

"M'cold," Peter muttered, shivering.Tony looked at the bed and already knew there was only just enough room for the both of them. Peter reached up to poke his swollen cheeks and Tony grabbed his other hand. "I feel like a chipmunk."

"Look like one, too," Tony said.

"I wan' snugglessssss," Peter whined.

Tony laughed and pushed Peter over a little bit. "Alright, alright." He slid into the seat next to Peter, who instantly cuddled up against him like a koala and nuzzled his head against his chest with a happy noise. Tony wrapped his arms around Peter as best he could and smiled as Peter melted into the embrace.

"M'warm now," Peter said with a sigh.

"You just wanted to be cuddled," Tony said, smiling at him fondly.

Peter sighed. "I love you."

Tony nearly froze at that. "Really?"

"You're like, m'favourite person," Peter continued. "I mean, m'be May, but you're the best."

"Thanks, kid," Tony laughed.

"I love you to a r'lly high number. Like, three thous'nd, m'be."

"Three thousand, huh?" Tony said, rubbing Peter's arm. "Wow."

Peter snuggled up further to Tony's side. "I love you 3000."

"Love you too, kiddo," Tony said, his heart completely melting into a pool of molten magma. 

"Three thous'nd?"

"Three thousand," Tony repeated, brushing hair off Peter's forehead with his free hand and his heart melted even more when Peter leaned into the touch. 

"I kin'a wan' ice cream," Peter mumbled, his eyelids drooping. "That sounds nice ri'now."

"It does," Tony said softly. "We'll have some when we get back to the compound and you can get the cotton out of your mouth, okay?"

"M'kay," Peter sighed. "M'tired."

"I'd assume so," Tony said. "You can sleep if you want."

"I don't r'lly wanna though."

"Too bad," Tony said. "Your eyes are closing already."

"No they're not."

Tony looked down and saw Peter looking up at him with wide eyes.  _What is this paternal feeling, oh my god._

Tony closed Peter's eyelids with his hand gently and kept it there, rubbing light circles on Peter's temple. Peter nodded off pretty quickly, still cuddled against Tony.

 _And I didn't think this kid could get any more adorable,_ Tony thought fondly. He couldn't wait to remind Peter of all this when he wasn't loopy anymore. He didn't really care. It was too adorable to care about.  _This is going in_ Spider-Kid  _for sure._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I'm kinda evil for putting I love you 3000 in it, but whatever it's the best quote. 
> 
> I had to get some teeth pulled so my braces would work once upon a time, however needles don't bother me so I didn't need to get laughing gas and I wasn't really that loopy, buuuut there are some people who are loopy either way. I think I was pretty normal. 
> 
> Peter is just too adorable. I need to keep my mind off Endgame by writing fluff like this.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the fluff <3


	5. birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Tony's birthday, and the gift Peter has prepared for him is one that Tony will certainly not forget.

Peter was unbelievably nervous about today.

It was Tony Stark's  _birthday_ and they had never celebrated it together before and it was stressing Peter out. He already knew Tony didn't want a party, and was just planning a visit and possibly stay overnight.

But what was the most unnerving was the present.

Peter had thought about the present for a month at least, and was now ready to hand it over.

And the thought absolutely  _terrified_ him.

 _Oh god, he's gonna hate it,_ Peter worried, fidgeting anxiously on the ride over there.  _He's gonna disown me._

He walked to the lab, heart pounding, and it only increased when he saw Tony working on something through the windows.

He sucked in a breath and pushed open the door. "Hi," he said, poking his head in. Tony whirled around. "Happy birthday."

A huge smile came over Tony's face. "Thanks, kid." Peter crossed the room and carefully put his arms around Tony's shoulders in an awkward standing-sitting hug, but Tony didn't seem to care, laughing and hugging Peter back. 

"So what are you, seventy now?"

"Something like that," Tony said with a laugh, releasing from the embrace and messing up Peter's hair with his hand. Then his eyes drifted to the little bag in Peter's hand. "What's this?"

"Oh, um . . ." Peter held out the bag with uncontrollably shaky hands. "It's, uh . . . it's for you."

"You got me a present?" Tony remarked, taking the bag from Peter's hands. "Why?"

"Ummm . . ." Peter's voice wavered out of pure nerves and he didn't know  _why_ he was so nervous- yes he did. "Just open it."

Tony pulled out one of two objects. It was a tape, labelled  _Happy 48th, Mr. Stark_ in silver glitter sharpie that Peter stole from May. "Do I play this?"

Peter nodded and looked down at the ground as Tony slid the tape into a machine that was supposed to play it, and the single song echoed around the room. It was called  _Not All Heroes Wear A Cape_ by Owl City.

Tony seemed confused at the start, but Peter watched as realization slowly crept over him as the lyrics played on. Peter closed his eyes and looked down when the lyrics said,  _some folks don't believe in heroes, but they haven't met my dad._ He glanced up for a moment, just a moment, to look at Tony's reaction, who slowly placed a hand over his mouth.

_When he looks in my eyes, I hope he can see . . ._

_. . . my dad's a hero to me._

When the song ended, neither said a word for a solid minute.

Tony was the first to do something. He reached into the bag and pulled out the other item.

A note.

And read it in dead silence.

_Hi, Mr. Stark,_

_I'm assuming you're reading this after the song._

_It was so creepily accurate to you that I couldn't not think of you. Like "likes his workshop" "owns a hot rod" "has a heart of gold." It's exactly like you._

_So I'm aware the lyrics were talking about a dad, but honestly, that's what you've felt like to me. When it said "but every time my world needs saving, he's my Superman" .... that's what it feels like a lot._

_And I don't know what you'd consider the status of our relationship, since we weren't even really on hug status until like last month, but I really think of you as my dad, or at least father-figure._

_I don't know if you feel the same._

_Anyways, happy birthday!_

_Love,  
Peter_

"Peter . . ."

Peter looked up and a weight was dropped into his stomach when he saw the shimmering of a small tear running down the billionaire's cheek, which he swiped at almost instantly, obviously trying incredibly hard not to lose it. 

"Jesus Christ on a bike, kid. Come here." He stood and reached out his arms, and Peter fell into one of the best hugs he'd ever felt in his life. A strong, tight, warm hug that made him feel incredibly safe.

Peter felt each wet drop sink into his shirt, Tony trying his hardest not to start full out crying, and knew right away that he didn't like seeing Tony cry, because all it did was make him want to cry. 

After a long while, Tony pulled away and swiped at his tears again, attempting to hold it together. "Fuck," he whispered, wiping away the last of the tears. "You think you're made of iron and then."

"Did you like it?" Peter asked softly.

"You made me cry. You don't think I liked it?" 

Peter, still unnerved, managed to say something. "I meant everything I said. I think of you as my dad more often than not, and it's okay if you don't feel the same way-"

"Peter, I do feel the same," Tony broke in gently and Peter looked up, his eyes filling. "It only took you getting you nearly dying for me to realize that."

"But that was months ago," Peter whispered.

"I know," Tony said quietly. "Thank you for the gift, kiddo. It means a lot to me."

Peter smiled, tears spilling, and Tony tenderly brushed them off Peter's cheeks. He did that every time Peter cried around him, and it was one of the most comforting things Peter had ever felt.

"And just for the record, in the song it says 'even though I'm a little taller', and you're not taller."

Peter laughed. "I will be." He paused and looked up. "I love you 3000."

"You remember that?"

Peter smiled.

"I love you 3000, too, kid."

And Tony took Peter in for the biggest hug they'd ever shared, both basking in each others presence. 

"Best birthday ever," Tony whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing this made me feel all warm and squishy inside :)


	6. insomnia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FRIDAY informs Tony that Peter hasn't been sleeping very well recently, and that same night, he went to go check it out. What he finds out ends up surprising him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oooooh baby does the FFH trailer ever hurt.

"Peter is currently sitting in the great room," FRIDAY said and Tony's head snapped up at that.

He grabbed his phone and looked at the time. "It's 3 am."

"I am aware."

_Why the hell is he still awake?_

"Peter's body is under some stress due to the fact that he has not been sleeping very well recently," FRIDAY informed.

"This isn't another Red Bull thing, is it?"

"No, there are no traces of any caffeinated substances present in Peter's body."

Tony stood up and cracked his back. "Getting old," he said in a strained voice before standing up straight and heading off to the great room. The compound was dark and quiet, with only the rumbling of thunder and splattering of rain outside to produce noise.

Just as FRIDAY said, Peter was in the great room.

His knees were tucked under his chin and he was clearly shivering, watching the storm outside.

"You know there's blankets in your room, right?"

Peter didn't even turn his head. "Yeah, I know."

Tony sat down softly next to him and slid off his zip-up hoodie to place around Peter's trembling shoulders, a smile tugging at his lips when Peter let out a small, comforted sigh. "What might you be doing up so late?"

"I couldn't sleep," Peter said quietly. "So I came to watch the rain."

"Haven't been sleeping that well lately?"

Peter shook his head. "Not really, no."

Tony sighed a little and looked at Peter for a second. "C'mere."

Peter turned his head finally and Tony was taken aback by his puffy eyes. He sniveled and fell into Tony's arms. Tony wrapped the hoodie a little further around Peter's body and cuddled him to his side affectionately.

"What's up?" Tony asked gently, rubbing circles on Peter's arm.

"Sleeping is just really hard," Peter whispered. "And it sucks because I'm so tired all the time."

"What's keeping you up?" 

Peter pressed his forehead against the side of Tony's shoulder. "I . . . I- uh . . . I just- I just keep thinking about stuff."

"Like what?" Tony pressed softly, his mind set on holding Peter as comfortingly as possible.

"Everything," Peter whispered. "Everything bad. And my mind just won't shut off."

_Oh boy, do I know how that feels._

"I used to have really bad insomnia too," Tony said.  _Still do._

"Yeah," Peter muttered. 

"Can you tell me what you've been thinking about specifically?" Tony asked quietly. 

Peter didn't say anything for a second. "You know how I was attacked by the Vulture and he dropped all that concrete on me?"

_Oh god._

_How could I forget?_

"Yeah," Tony said regretfully. He had never stopped blaming himself for that.

"I think of that, and I think of B-Ben being murdered in front of me." His voice stuttered on his uncle's name, presenting just how hard it was for him to bring him up even.

"I'm sorry, kiddo," Tony empathized, and even though Peter's chest wasn't touching him, he could feel his heart pounding under the PTSD and stress this must have been bringing him. Tony's eyes drifted to a pen laying atop the coffee table and he stretched out his arm to grab it and handed it to Peter.

"What's this for?"

"Pepper used to have me draw on her hand whenever we talked about panic-inducing stuff, and it helped, so now I'm having you do it," Tony said.

"MJ actually draws on me a lot," Peter said with a light laugh, running the tip of the pen along the skin on Tony's hand. "She's an awesome artist."

"Okay, so you were talking about stuff that keeps you up," Tony said, steering the conversation back. "Are those the only two things?"

Peter kept his eyes firmly glued to the pen in his hand. "My mind just comes up with a lot of unnecessarily panic-inducing stuff."

"Such as?"

Peter gritted his teeth. "You dying."

Tony tilted his head so he could see Peter's face, heart breaking. "Kid . . ."

"It just always keeps me up if I think of it," Peter whispered. "Because . . . I can't handle losing someone else."

_Oh, kid._

"Hey," Tony said softly, gingerly brushing the side of Peter's face with his fingers. "I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

"You say that," Peter said, the pen in his hand beginning to shake. 

"Peter." Tony gently turned Peter's chin his way. "They're just thoughts. It's all in your head. That's all it is."

"I know," Peter said quietly. "But it never  _feels_ that way."

Tony watched his eyes well up and reached out to take him in for a hug. Peter's head pressed against his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around Tony's middle. Tony rested the side of his face against the top of Peter's head, the kid clinging to him like a koala. 

Peter was doing a good job of keeping it together, his breath coming out in short, uneven puffs as he tried not to cry. 

"You can cry about things like this, you know," Tony whispered. "It's okay to cry."

Peter swallowed roughly and it was only a few seconds before the waterworks emerged and he buried his face farther into Tony's shoulder. 

"Let it out, kid," Tony said softly. "It's just me here."

"I'm just so fucking tired all the time!" Peter exploded. "I want to sleep and then I  _can't_."

Tony stroked his hair. "I know, Pete. I know."

"And it  _sucks,_ " Peter cried. 

Tony rubbed Peter's back. "I know."

"What's kinda funny is that whenever I sleep over at Ned or MJ's house, I can fall asleep pretty well," Peter whispered, his chest heaving. "It's probably because I know they're safe and right there with me."

"I can stay with you tonight," Tony offered gently. 

Peter looked up at him. "You will?"

"Not like I was sleeping anyways," Tony added with a huff of a laugh. He gently peeled Peter off him to examine his face and to wipe away any tears that remained lingering on his cheeks. 

"You always do that," Peter whispered as Tony brushed away his tears, who raised an eyebrow. "It's comforting."

Tony smiled. "That's good, kid."

Peter smiled back and rolled off Tony.

Tony looked down at the drawing on his hand. "You drew the Iron Man face-plate."

Even though it was really dark, Tony saw Peter's cheeks redden. "W-well, yeah. It makes me feel safe."

Tony's heart swelled with warmth. "Come on, let's get you to sleep."

And he slept with out any trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo insomnia.  
> I've never really actually had a problem with sleeping. I mean, as I'm writing this I'm sick and had a terrible night last night, but that doesn't count.  
> Buuuut I have a few really good friends who struggle with insomnia and I feel for them, because man I've heard it sucks. <3


	7. rough day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Peter has a rough day at school and just wants cuddles."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got a prompt on Insta, and I was like "hell yeah this is adorable!"

Today fucking  _sucked._

First off, Peter was not prepared for a chem test and got a C which he was not happy about. Then Flash decided to make it his life's mission to explain that to the Decathlon class and continue to make Peter feel like he was literally worth nothing more than a dead clam.

"You fucking orphan," Flash mumbled when Peter screwed up on a question and his eyes widened.

"What?"

"You fucking  _orphan,_ " Flash said louder.

"Shut the hell up," MJ snapped.

"Why is he even here? He got a C on his chem test," Flash said. "Freaking  _useless._ "

Peter bit down hard on his lip and felt his face reddening. 

"Damn, a C? That sucks, man," Abe said sympathetically, but it only made Peter feel worse. 

"Useless orphan," Flash muttered, sinking back into his seat.

Peter felt tears stinging his eyes throughout the rest of the practice.

Then Peter tripped over his goddamn shoelaces and landed hard on his side. He's _Spider-Man_ and tripped over his fucking shoe laces.

So yeah. Not the best day in the world.

It was lab day, and since Peter discovered that Tony didn't mind hugging him, he really wanted a hug or cuddles or _something_.

He wanted to feel loved since he was tormented so much at school.

"Take me to the lab, FRI," Peter said quietly, heart hurting from what Flash said to him.

That he was useless and an orphan.

He hit him right where he was sensitive. 

 

On the walk to the lab, images of Ben flashed before Peter's eyes as his mind replayed what Flash said. Images from his parents' funeral. Images from Ben's funeral, in which he came to school with puffy, bloodshot eyes and a tear-stained face and refused to talk to anyone. 

"Kid?"

Peter snapped his head up and saw Tony watching him with a concerned expression. 

"What's up?" 

Peter stared at him for a second before embarrassingly bursting into tears, sinking down to the floor with his knees tucked into his chest, balancing on the balls of his feet. He didn't know  _why_ he was crying. He'd dealt with so much worse before. Maybe it was the heavy feeling in his chest or the voice in his head telling him that Flash was right, but it was coming up in a way that was completely humiliating and a begged his tears to stop.

"Oh fuck," Tony swore and Peter heard footsteps run up to him before hands were prying Peter's away from his face. "Hey, kid, look at me. What's up?"

"Can- can I- is it okay if . . ." He just wanted a freaking  _hug._

"What is it? What do you need?"

"Can I please h-have a h-hug?" 

Arms were then encircling him and tugging him into Tony's chest and onto his lap. "It's okay, kid," Tony soothed, resting the side of his face on top of Peter's head. "You're okay."

Peter couldn't seem to stop crying as he buried his face into Tony's shoulder, drenching his shirt in salt water. 

"Rough day?" Tony whispered and Peter nodded against his shoulder. "Ah, those suck."

After a while, Tony peeled Peter's face away from his shoulder. Peter squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to look and see Tony's face.

"Kid, look at me."

Peter shook his head and started to wipe away his tears when Tony grabbed that hand and started to brush away the tears himself. "What say we go sit down?"

Peter nodded and sniveled. "That would be nice."

Tony hoisted Peter up to his feet and hugged him again before leading him to the living room.

About ten seconds after sitting down, Peter looked over at Tony. Even though he just spent a while in the man's arms, the want-to-cuddle urge suddenly popped up. 

"Tony?"

Tony held out his arms. "Go ahead, kiddo."

Peter slumped into his mentor's hold and felt himself relaxing. 

"So you had a really rough day?"

Peter bit his lip. "Yeah."

"What happened?"

"Just dumb stuff," Peter said dismissively. 

"You came into the lab and you broke down crying the second I started talking to you," Tony deadpanned and Peter's cheeks heated up in embarrassment. "It clearly hurt you."

"This dude was just bothering me," Peter tried.

"How so?"

"C-called me useless . . . and- and an orphan," Peter whispered and curled into Tony's hold more.

"Oh," Tony said softly. "Shit, kid. I'm sorry. I know that's where you're sensitive."

"And he said it in front of everyone, too," Peter added in a quiet voice. 

Tony tugged Peter further into his hold, the teenager positively melting into it. Tony rubbed Peter's arm gently and brushed his thumb across his cheekbone and rested his chin on top of Peter's head, which was way more comforting than Peter ever thought it could be. He felt so safe with Tony's arms surrounding him and occasionally giving Peter's arm a quick squeeze.

"I can't believe I completely lost it," Peter muttered.

"It's all good," Tony reassured. "I don't mind."

"Are my eyes still red?"

Tony craned his neck to look at Peter's eyes before going back to resting his chin on the top of his head. "A little. It's probably the worst part about crying since it takes a hot second to go away."

Peter nodded against Tony's shoulder, and nearly froze up when he felt the tiny kiss on his hairline. 

He felt unbelievably loved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not all too happy with this. But it's just me ranting so..


	8. patrol

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Peter witnesses something terrible on patrol and runs to Tony for comfort."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt says it all :)

It was a day like any other.

Peter was patrolling, stopping an occasional mugging, helping an occasional lady across the street, getting bought an occasional churro (which was delicious by the way).

"Peter, there is an armed mugging just two blocks down," Karen reported.

"On it."

Something told Peter he needed to get there fast.

And he tried.

He webbed there as fast as he could.

But froze up right before jumping into the alley.

A long, silver blade rested in the gloved hand of the assailant, and dark red liquid poured out of the torso of the man who he just stabbed.

All of the air was sucked out of Peter's lungs. He couldn't move. He was frozen as the knife was plunged twice, three times, four times.

Peter's eyes were fixated on the man who was now lying face planted on the concrete with blood staining the concrete. Then that man suddenly turned into Uncle Ben and Peter was fourteen again, watching his uncle bleed out.

"-eter! You have to breathe! The police have been contacted!" Karen said frantically.

Chest heaving in the terrible panic attack emerging, Peter's knees gave out and he collapsed. He gulped in heavy breaths and tried to forget but the image was seared into his brain and he _couldn't breathe._

"Breathe, Peter. You need to go somewhere."

Peter nodded and took in a somewhat stable breath and forced himself to his feet. His brain took him to the only place he could think of.

The compound.

He saw the man being stabbed in his mind's eye.

He saw his uncle getting shot.

He saw the gravestones of everyone he'd lost.

When he got to the compound, he pushed open the window to Tony's lab and thanked everything out there that the man was in there.

Crawling through the window, he ripped off his mask and Tony's head snapped up.

"Peter?"

Peter dropped from the ceiling and took in Tony's extremely concerned expression, the panic attack still ongoing and his eyes started to burn and his lungs constricted.

"Peter, talk to me," Tony said, crossing the room and placing his hand on Peter's shoulders. "Calm down. Breathe."

All it took was looking up at Tony and seeing his worried eyes for Peter to break down in tears and press his hands over his face.

"Oh no," Tony whispered, wrapping Peter in a hug with an arm around his shoulders and the other with his hand against the back of his head, pushing it into his shoulder. Peter sobbed and put his arms around Tony's middle and cried. He saw the man getting stabbed again and cried harder.

Peter wasn't sure how long they stood there, but he knew it was long, and he still couldn't seem to stop crying, not even when he pulled away and tried to wipe his face dry. It didn't even work since new tears kept coming and coming and wetting his cheeks all over again.

"What happened?" Tony asked softly and that just made the images become even clearer and cause Peter to cry harder.

"Please don't make me say it," Peter cried, still trying to clear his face of tears.

Tony grabbed Peter's hands and forced them away from his face so he could look Peter in the eyes. He gently started to brush away tears himself. The gesture was comforting and Peter always liked it when Tony did it, but this was under such unfortunate circumstances that Peter almost didn't want it.

"Jesus Christ, bad patrol?" Tony said gently.

Peter bit his quivering lip and nodded, hiccuping on a sob. 

Tony wiped more tears away. "You need to breathe, Peter.  _Breathe._ "

"I  _can't_ ," Peter choked out, still crying. 

Tony grabbed Peter and drew him in for a hug again. "Breathe with me." He exaggerated his breathing and Peter tried his best to copy him.

Eventually his breathing normalized, but he was still crying into Tony's shoulder, unable to stop with all the images in his head.

Tony ran his hand through Peter's hair and shushed him gently. "You're gonna be okay."

Peter sniveled and nodded, trying to stop crying since it was getting embarrassing. "I fucked up. I let a man get stabbed and it's happening all over again-"

"Peter, shh," Tony whispered. "Nothing was your fault."

"I was too late!" Peter cried. "If I had gotten there _three seconds earlier_ -"

"Then you might have been the one to have gotten stabbed," Tony said softly. "And I can't bear to think about that right now. Christ, Peter, if it was you instead . . ."

"But he probably had a family and no one needs me." He didn't mean for that to come out.

Tony broke away to hold Peter's cheeks at arms length and thumb away the tears on his face, a scared but very sad look in his eyes. "I'll tell you who needs you and that's me. I need you, Peter."

Peter's crying stopped momentarily. 

"Kid, you've been my one saving grace this past month," Tony whispered, continuing to brush away tears. "With Pepper and Rhodey gone, there was no one around to get me out of a bad day but you. I don't ever want to hear you say no one needs you again because  _I do_ and there is nothing that could change that."

Tears came again at full force and Tony wrapped Peter in a tight hug again and Peter completely curled into it and cried into Tony's shoulder again, the tears a mix of happiness and sadness this time. 

"I need you too," Peter sobbed.

"I love you, kid."

"I love you too!" Peter cried, his chest heaving in sobs. 

They continued to hug for a long time, even after Peter's tears finally dried up. When they he finally pulled away he looked down, embarrassed. 

"Wanna head to the couch?" Tony suggested gently and Peter nodded. 

Once they had down, Tony wordlessly pulled Peter into his side, continuing that hug they just shared. Peter buried his face in Tony's collarbone and tried hard not to cry  _again._

"You're going to be alright, kiddo," Tony said softly. "You can always come to me if you need to."

"Always?" Peter asked, looking up at Tony, who smiled and pressed a light kiss on his hairline. 

"Always."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More hugging, because I have no impulse control ;)


	9. comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Maybe one where Peter comforts Tony?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gotta give a big thanks to my girl reena for helping me out with this <3

Tony hadn't felt like this in years.

He hadn't felt like the stress and fear and sadness was eating him alive in so long.

He'd already spiraled into a panic attack multiple times, remembering the look containing nothing short of violence in Steve's damn blue eyes as he beat the shit out of him, remembering Barnes wrapping his hand around Maria's throat with a cold, expressionless look in his eyes.

The government had decided to make a modification to the Accords. Long story short, Tony was required to meet with the Rogue Avengers before the modification could be signed.

And as much as he didn't want to, he did, and nearly turned around when he saw Steve sitting at the table. Throughout the meeting, the panic attack which Tony kept contained was destroying him and his eyes and lungs were burning the entire time.

Now, he was back in his workshop, trying to work away his troubles but his mind kept going back to that damn video and his left arm and head started to ache again. A few times, stubborn tears entered his eyes, which he blinked away furiously. He was not going to cry over this. It was not worth crying over. 

"Boss, might I remind you that Mr. Parker is coming today?" FRIDAY said.

_Oh, fuck._

He couldn't be weak like this in front of Peter.

The kid didn't need that.

He could cancel.

He could say there were things going on.

Tony dropped his head into his hands, overwhelming pain surging through his body from the panic attack resurfacing. He tried to focus on something else, but his hands where shaky and he was hurting all over and nothing seemed to be able to distract him. 

Time passed painfully slowly.

Tony stopped counting the seconds that went by.

He clenched his fists and breathed hard through his nose.

He forgot what time it was until he heard the lab door opening.

_Oh no._

"Hey, Tony!"

_Oh, please no._

"Hey, kid," Tony tried to say normally. "How was school?"

"It was alright, I had a dumb test in Chem, which I totally aced by the way," Peter chirped, plopping down next to Tony, but as soon as he sat down, the smile fled from his face. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Tony said, the pain only increasing. "Why?"

"You don't seem fine," Peter said, placing his hand on Tony's forearm. Tony couldn't help himself from flinching and Peter's hand retracted back like it was burned. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, I'm fine," Tony insisted waving his hand dismissively.

"You're not fine," Peter said. "I know these things, and I know you're not fine."

"Dammit, Peter!" Tony snapped and Peter twitched, hurt entering his eyes, and Tony instantly felt like the world's biggest asshole. 

Peter bit his lip and ducked his head. 

"Shit, I'm sorry," Tony whispered, but his voice cracked and the whole thing was strained. His eyes felt suspiciously wet and his heart was pounding. 

"It's fine," Peter said softly. 

"You should leave," Tony said, his throat aching. "I don't want to yell at you."

"I'm not leaving you," Peter said. "That seems like the worst thing to do right now."

Tony bit down on his quivering bottom lip and turned away. His eyes were burning with the weight of unshed tears.

_Don't cry._

_Don't you dare cry._

"Tony," Peter said in the most gentle voice Tony had ever heard. "What's going on?"

"It's been a shit day," Tony whispered. "I don't want to yell at you, Peter. Please leave."

"I'm not leaving," Peter said firmly. "You shouldn't be alone right now."

"I'm used to it," Tony snapped, whirling back around at Peter. "I've done things alone my entire life. What makes this any different?"

"Because I'm here and I am not leaving you like this," Peter said, hurt woven into his voice. "You can yell at me and keep snapping at me, but I'm not leaving and there is nothing you can do to change that."

Peter was blurry in front of Tony, his eyes so filled with tears that it was impossible to see straight. He swallowed roughly and looked up. He felt Peter's smaller hand gently come to rest on his own. 

"Hey," Peter whispered, giving a little smile. "It's okay to cry."

Tony stared at him for a second, and then everything fell apart.

Acid-like tears streamed down his face and a sob tore through his throat and he collapsed forward into Peter's open arms. 

The sobs ripped through him like he was dying, but that's what it felt like.

Peter hugged him tightly and dropped the side of his face against Tony's shoulder. Tony's face was pressed against Peter's shoulder while he cried and wrapped his arms around Peter's torso.

He couldn't remember the last time he broke down like this.

There had been silent crying here and there, but nothing like this in forever. 

But this was Peter, who he had seen cry and fall apart many times, who he had grown to care about more than almost everyone, who was smart and sweet and ridiculous and one of the best people Tony had ever associated with. He knew Peter wouldn't judge. He knew Peter just wanted to help.

So he just gave up and let everything out, crying into Peter's shoulder. 

The sobs eventually fizzled out into an occasional sniffle, but Tony continued to hold Peter.

He didn't feel alone for the first time in a long time. 

When Tony finally pulled away, he wiped his face with his hands numerous times to try to remove the tears irritating his skin. 

Peter didn't say anything until he was pretty sure he was done clearing his face of the embarrassingly high number of tears.

"Feel any better?" Peter asked gently. 

"Yeah," Tony admitted. He forgot how liberating it felt to let everything out.

Peter smiled softly and rested his hand on Tony's forearm. "You're gonna be okay."

"I know," Tony said. He turned his head. "Because you're here."

Peter's smile widened. "I love you."

Tony reached out and hugged Peter again. "I love you too, kiddo."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love tony sm. he's such a flawed character, but that's what makes him flawless. I just love him and miss him so much <33


	10. sick II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony gets sick and a very stubborn Peter forces him to get rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> got this idea from a request on instagram!

Tony never got sick.

Ever.

If he did, it was the rare one-in-five-years type of deal.

It was that type of deal today.

He woke up with a pounding headache, a weak feeling, a layer of mucus coating the inside of his throat, and a disgusting hot sensation, instantly knowing he wasn't feeling 100%.

"FRIDAY? Temperature, please?"

"You have a mild fever of 100.9 degrees," FRIDAY said. "I recommend cancelling the meeting scheduled and the lab day with Peter to get some rest."

For some reason, the thought of cancelling on Peter made Tony feel terrible. He loved working with Peter more than he'd ever admit. A few coughs and a headache wasn't going to stop him.

"I'm fine," Tony mumbled, forcing himself out of bed and nearly collapsing. 

" _Boss-_ "

"I'm  _fine,_ " Tony insisted, walking into the bathroom to shower. He erupted in a fit of coughing right after getting in the shower.

The meeting went by painfully slow.

Tony tried his best to stay engaged and not let the pounding of his head disorient him, doing a pretty good job of it actually. 

After it was over, he went to the bathroom and had another coughing fit. When he looked in the mirror, he did a double take. His face was pale and his eyes were red, even though he had not been anywhere close to crying. He run a bundle of paper towel under cold water and dabbed it under his eyes, hoping that might take away some of the annoying redness.

He was completely and utterly  _drained_ when Peter showed up around 3:30.

"How was school?" Tony asked casually, chugging a glass of water.

"It was okay, we had this weird guest speaker in English," Peter said, plopping down. "Said some stuff about staying off drugs. Which by the way how does that have anything to do with English-"

The headache only intensified as Peter babbled on about his day. Usually Tony would be okay with that, since listening to him ramble was equal parts adorable and hilarious. Tony rubbed his forehead, where the pain mostly was and bit his lip to keep from coughing.

"-and then Ned was- hey, are you okay?"

Tony just realized he had his face in his hands. "Hm? Yeah, I'm just really tired."

"Oh," Peter said, tipping his head to try to look at Tony's face. "You don't look that great."

"Thanks, kid."

"I mean you look sick or something," Peter said quickly, reaching out to drag Tony's hands away from his face. Tony let him, way too exhausted to protest. "Jesus, your eyes are red. You haven't been crying right?"

"I don't cry," Tony mumbled.

"I've seen you cry."

"That's nice."

"So are you sick?"

Tony sighed. "A little, but it's fine."

"Uh, no it's not," Peter said, grabbing Tony's arm with both of his hands and started to drag him towards the door. "You made me go lie down when I was sick. I'm returning the favor."

"Kid, I'm  _fine,_ " Tony said, his headache pounding in disagreement. Yet, he let Peter drag him out the door and towards his room. About half-way down the hall, he doubled over and started coughing again. The intensity of them hurt his throat.

"You good?" Peter asked gently, resting his hand on Tony's shoulder.

Tony nodded and stood up straight. Peter moved his hand to Tony's wrist and continued to drag him through the hall and forced Tony into his room. "Go lie down, I'm grabbing Tylenol."

"Peter-"

The kid was already shoving him towards his bed. He didn't protest and climbed onto the bed. A small hand was then gently touching his forehead. 

"You're really warm," Peter said softly. "FRIDAY, what's his temperature?"

"101.2. The temperature has risen do to the stress Mr. Stark has put himself through by not giving his body the rest it needs to heal," FRIDAY said, quite accusingly if Tony did say so himself.

Peter sighed at that. "Why am I not surprised?"

"I'm fine, I've worked through a fever before," Tony said, remembering that time he was one second away from passing out when he forced himself to finish up the hot rod.

"Uh huh, and how did that work out for you?" Peter said, raising a brow. 

Tony rolled his eyes, the action causing a spike of pain through his skull. 

Peter walked off to the bathroom and came back with a a cup of water and a Tylenol pill in his hands. Tony watched him place the cup and pill on the nightstand and sit on the edge of the bed.

He almost flinched when Peter gingerly touched his cheek to feel the temperature, the kid's cold hand a relief against his burning skin. He then went to hand Tony the cup and pill, who downed both items and flopped back onto the bed.

"Do you want me to stay here?" Peter asked softly.

_Yes._

"If you want to."

Peter smiled and climbed into the other side of the bed. He rolled onto his side. "Do you, uh . . . do you want cuddles or something?"

There was not one instance where Tony was sick and he had someone to cuddle him. He always stayed out of Pepper's way and Howard certainly did not want to be around him during those times. He was so used to dealing with things like this by himself. 

The whole 'I-hate-being-touched' facade just wasn't working anymore.

"I could go for some cuddles."

He smiled a little at the safe feeling that same over him when the warmth of Peter snuggled up against his side. They had cuddled so much recently that it was normal now. Peter nuzzled his head against Tony's chest with a comforted sigh and the man curled an arm around his middle.

"Thanks, kid," Tony whispered. "I appreciate this."

"No problem," Peter said with a smile. "Any time."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tony is literally me when I'm sick. I've been quite sick this year once and didn't miss school and just about died doing so, but I'm alive aren't I? Being sick is the worst.
> 
> Hope y'all enjoyed!


	11. my kid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cuddling, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and confessions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is out a day early because I just could not resist I'm so proud of it, also it's the one month anniversary of this fic (like anyone cares) and I just wanted to thank you guys so much. I'm almost at 700 kudos. Y'all are so sweet and my inbox has been filled with nothing but love <333
> 
> With all that said, I had so freaking much fun writing this. Y'all are about to be hit with tooth-rotting fluff so be prepared :)

It was completely Peter's idea to binge-watch Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

"Why?" Tony asked.

"MJ said it's good, and I like the actor who plays the main character," Peter said. "Come on, it'll be fun."

"Fine, I'll watch one and if I don't like it I'm leaving."

"Deal." Peter stuck out his hand, initiating a handshake. Tony snorted and grabbed his hand with a light shake.

Peter bounced off to the living room and was already bundled up in a blanket by the time Tony got there. He looked snuggly, and then Tony realized he had never in his life used snuggly to describe something. 

He plopped down next to Peter. "FRIDAY, play episode one of Brooklyn Nine-Nine would ya?"

"Sure thing, Boss."

Peter scooted over to rest his head against Tony's chest. Tony smiled and wrapped his arms around the kid and Peter nuzzled his head up a little so it was under Tony's chin. Tony would never admit this to anyone, but he loved cuddling with Peter. 

So, he did end up liking Brooklyn Nine-Nine and they continued to binge-watch the entire first season. 

Eight hours went by before the first season was done. Peter was comfortably situated against Tony, cuddled up to his side. The side of Tony's face had come to rest on top of Peter's head a few episodes in.

"Season two?"

Tony raised an eyebrow even though Peter couldn't see him. "It's been eight hours."

"So? I got time, I got nothing but time."

"Alright, fine. But I'm gonna grab hot chocolate or something."

"Ooh, I'm down," Peter said happily, getting off the couch and bounding off to the kitchen. "Wait." He turned around. "Do you make hot chocolate with milk or water?"

"Water?" Tony said, raising an eyebrow.

"You disgrace," Peter exclaimed. "We're making it with milk. It's the only way to do it."

Tony had never seen anyone make hot chocolate the way Peter did.

"Are you boiling milk?"

"Yeah?" Peter said, dumping his portion of milk into the pot. "And then I add the powder."

"What the actual fuck, Peter."

"Don't question greatness," Peter said, squatting down to be at eye level with the cup of Tony's milk he was measuring.

Tony had to admit, it did taste pretty damn good with the milk.

"Back to the TV!" Peter said, hopping off to the living room and jumping onto the couch. 

Tony chuckled and sat down next to him.

He reached out and pulled Peter into his chest, tucking the kid's head under his chin and wrapped his arms around his body as comfortingly as possible. His chin rested atop Peter's messy head of curls. Peter sighed comfortably and started the first episode of season 2.

"This is really nice," Peter said happily. 

"Yeah?"

Peter nuzzled his head further into Tony's neck. "I love it when you cuddle me. It makes me feel really safe."

Tony was pretty sure his heart was liquid at that moment. "Well I'm down to cuddle you any time, kiddo."

"Did you get cuddled a lot as a kid?"

Tony's heart dropped at that. He tried hard to think of one instance, but could not come up with anything at all. The most he ever got was a hug, but those were the good days which barely ever occurred. "No, I didn't."

"Awe, why?"

"I don't know, just never did," Tony said with a shrug. "Don't worry about it."

Peter hugged Tony's arms tighter against his chest. "Well I'm gonna cuddle you a lot now. You've started it. You can't stop me."

Tony huffed a laugh. "Thanks, kid."

"You're welcome, Dad."

Tony immediately froze and so did Peter. 

"Shit. I . . ." Peter trailed off. "That wasn't supposed to come out."

_Dad._

Tony pressed pause on the remote. "Pete, you've felt like my kid for a while now, I think it's okay for you to say that," Tony said gently, even though he was internally freaking out. 

_Dad._

"O-oh, are you sure? If it's weird for you, I wont. I'm sorry-" He started to try to pull away out of embarrassment but Tony kept a firm hold. 

"What are you doing?"

Peter collapsed back as quickly as he had started. "I don't know."

"Hey," Tony said softly. "You're my kid, Peter. That's what it's felt like." He took a breath. "Look, I don't do this sappy shit often, so if it's terrible, I'm sorry. Pete, you mean the world to me. We've grown way closer than I would have ever thought and you hugged me while I was crying for god's sake, and let me tell you that the only person who has ever done that was Pepper. Remember that birthday present you gave me? You're my kid, kid. I love you so fucking much. Don't you forget that."

A sniffle.

"Pete?" He pulled Peter off him gently to see tears running down his face, bottom lip trembling. And for some reason, seeing Peter cry out of happiness made tears spring into his eyes as he wiped them off Peter's face gingerly. "Why are you crying, buddy?"

"You have no idea how much that means to me," Peter whispered, Tony knowing that if he raised his voice any more he'd start sobbing. "Thank you."

"Come here, kid."

He pulled Peter back against his chest with the kid's head under his chin again and tightly hugged him. 

"I love you too," Peter whispered, his voice breaking as he tried his best to keep it together.

Tony ran a hand through Peter's hair. "Jesus, you're gonna make me cry."

He was expecting Peter to laugh but all he got was a soft whimper and concern came over him. "Hey, are you okay?"

"I just don't want anything bad to happen to you," Peter sniffled. "Like my other father figures."

Oh.

_Oh._

_Oh **fuck.**_

"Shh, kid. Nothing's gonna happen to me," Tony assured, voice breaking under unshed tears. "I'll be okay."

He kissed the top of Peter's head. "I love you so much, kiddo."

"I love you too," Peter whispered.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I died of cuteness overload


	12. threats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter's phone number was given out to some of the dicks in his grade, and it doesn't end well at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one isn't really g-rated like the others, and I'm not changing my rating to Teen just cuz of this one, so just be prepared :)

"Kid, time to get up. If you miss school, May will castrate me," Tony said, knocking on Peter's door continuously. 

"Tony?"

His voice was so soft that Tony's breath caught in his throat.

"Pete?" He opened up the door. Peter was sitting on his bed with his back pressed against the frame of the bed, knees tucked into his chest with his arms hugging them. He looked so small.

Tony wasted no time in crossing the room and sitting next to him. "Hey hey," he said gently when tears ran down Peter's cheeks. Tony wrapped an arm around Peter's form. "What's up?"

"Is it okay if I don't go to school today?" Peter whispered, it sounding very strained. 

"Why? What happened?"

_I swear to god if someone hurt him-_

"Please can I just stay here?" Peter said, barely audible. 

"If you tell me what's going on." Tony hated that he had to play that card. He was more than willing to let Peter stay, but he needed to know what happened to make him not want to go so badly. 

Peter started to cry and Tony's heart broke. 

Tony opened his arms and Peter climbed onto his lap and buried his face in Tony's collarbone, clinging to him like a koala, small hiccuping noises rattling his form as he completely melted into Tony's arms. 

 _Jesus Christ,_ Tony thought, rubbing Peter's back. He rested his chin on top of Peter's head. 

"What's going on, kid?" Tony asked gently once Peter's crying faded into sniffles. 

"Please, I don't wanna go," Peter whimpered. "Please don't make me go."

"Okay, okay," Tony whispered, now extremely concerned. "But I need to know what's going on, bud."

"Someone gave my phone number to all the dicks in my grade," Peter sniveled and Tony's stomach sank. "I keep getting texts f-from numbers I don't know and . . ."

"What to the texts say?" Tony pressed gently, trying extremely hard not to punch through a wall. 

Peter dissolved into hiccuping sobs and buried his face further into Tony's chest, avoiding answering as much as possible. 

"Peter, what do they say?"

"I got a death threat this morning," Peter cried. 

Tony saw red. 

"It's probably a joke but I'm so scared, Tony," Peter sobbed. "I'm so scared."

The thought that someone would have the nerve, the  _audacity,_ to send this kid, this sweet, caring, smart kid a  _death threat_ whether it be fake or not made Tony's blood boil. 

"Oh Christ, Peter," Tony whispered. "Christ."

"I don't want to die," Peter wailed, tears now coming at full force and Tony's eyes burned. The fact that Peter even  _said_ that . . .

"You're not going to die," Tony assured, seconds away from punching the wall.  _I will keep you confined here with a bucket of ice cream and cuddles if that's what it takes._

When Peter pulled away, Tony instantly started wiping his tears away, knowing that gesture comforts him and he wanted to give him as much comfort as possible. His heart completely shattered when Peter leaned into it like it was a lifeline. This kid who was terrified out of his mind. 

"What exactly did the text say?" Tony asked softly, continuing to wipe tears away. 

"It said,  _your useless ass is going to die tomorrow, Parker,_ " Peter whispered, and it took all of Tony's self control to not break something. He kept his facade up and didn't let his pure rage show and made sure his expression was soft. 

"Oh god," Tony muttered.

Peter bit his trembling bottom lip and sniffled. 

"Hey, kid, listen," Tony said gently, wiping more tears away. "You're safe, okay? Nothing bad is going to happen to you." He tilted his head slightly and smiled a little. "Because I swear to god if someone dares try to hurt my kid, a fate worse than death would be coming their way."

"Your kid?" Peter whispered. 

"Yeah," Tony said, smiling a little wider. "My kid."

Peter blinked twice and a waterfall of tears fell from his eyes which Tony gently wiped away. 

"You wanna lie down?" Tony suggested.  _And then I'll go and shove that asshole who hurt you down a pipe._

Peter nodded through teary eyes and slowly lay down on the bed. Tony slid into the space next to him and wrapped his arms around him, pulling him to his chest. Peter sunk into the embrace and sniveled. 

"I will deal with that asshole," Tony said softly. "Don't worry."

"Thank you, Tony," Peter said, almost in a sob. "Thank you so much."

"Anything, Pete," Tony whispered, gently kissing Peter's hairline and hugging him tighter. 

They spent the rest of the day pretty much glued to each other. Peter obviously really needed the comfort of physical affection, and Tony was completely willing to give it to him. 

Peter's head fell onto Tony's chest as he snuggled up against his side. Tony smiled and wrapped an arm around the kid's waist and rested the side of his head against the top if Peter's. The kid nuzzled his head into Tony's neck with a comforted sigh.

His heart melted at the warmth of Peter cuddled against him while they watched a movie. 

Cuddling had become so normal now, and Tony was honestly all for it. There really wasn't a situation in which he platonically cuddled someone, so this was nice.  ~~Plus it made him feel like a father.~~

 _I will track them down kid,_ Tony thought, looking down at Peter who was nearly asleep.  _Don't you worry._

_I've got you._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i've had a friend who has received things like this before. i know it sucks :(


	13. sleepy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter comes to the lab after patrol extremely sleep deprived and Tony is forced to carry him off to bed, but he finds h doesn't mind at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dear god what is it with me and all these sleepy or cuddly fics?
> 
> buuut that's what you guys signed up for ;)
> 
> Also this is really short compared to everything else, and I'm sorry.

Peter was practically asleep the moment he crawled through the window onto the ceiling of Tony’s lab at 3:00 am.

“Hi,” Tony said, amused, looking up at the kid stuck to the ceiling. “You wanna hop down from there?”

“I’m so fucking  _ tired, _ ” Peter mumbled, detaching his feet and one hand and hung from the ceiling with one hand, eyes drooping.

“Whoa, whoa,” Tony said. “Drop down, kiddo.”

“Mm,” Peter said sleepily, releasing himself and dropping to the floor, landing gracefully enough. Tony instinctively grabbed Peter’s upper arms so the kid wouldn’t topple over out of sleep deprivation. “I haven’t even had any Red Bull and I’ve been awake for like twenty hours.”

Tony chuckled. “Of course you have. Time for this Spider-Kid to head to bed then.”

“Mm, that would be nice,” Peter mumbled, slumping into Tony, who laughed and hugged him back. “M’tired.”

“No way, really?” Tony said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He patted Peter’s shoulder. “Are you planning on walking?” Peter just let out a sleepy sigh against Tony’s shoulder. “Do you want me to carry you?”

“Mhm,” Peter sighed.

Tony remembered once when Maria carried him to bed. Jarvis did it from time to time as well. It was a nice feeling. It made him feel loved, even in those times when he felt like no one loved him. 

Gently gathering Peter into his arms, Tony lifted him up so Peter’s legs could wrap around his waist. Peter lazily threw an arm over one of Tony’s shoulders and the other wrapped itself around Tony’s middle. He flopped the side of his face against Tony’s shoulder and sighed sleepily again. 

And for a kid who was supposed to weigh a lot after the spider-bite, he didn’t feel like he weighed that much. “You’re not that heavy, are you kid?” Tony said with a laugh. 

The position in which Peter was cradled in Tony’s arms made him seem so much smaller than he actually was and so much like a child. Tony gently kissed Peter’s forehead and started to walk towards his room after making sure he was snug against his body. He surprisingly managed to carry the human koala in his arms with no problem. 

Once he made it to the room, he lowered both him and Peter onto the bed carefully, making sure not to disturb him and gingerly unwrapped Peter’s legs from his waist but still kept him cuddled up against him. 

_ Oh, he’s still in his suit,  _ Tony thought with a laugh, just now realizing this. He had designed the suit to be comfortable at least, so Peter would be just fine.

He wasn’t entirely sure if the kid was asleep yet or if he was just simply too tired to want to function like a normal human being. 

“You awake, kiddo?” Tony asked quietly, gently prodding Peter’s arm.

“Uh huh,” Peter whispered. “Thanks for carrying me.”

Tony chuckled. “No problem, kid. Don’t come here at 3:00 am next time and I won’t have to.”

“But I kin’a like it.”

“Do you?” Tony said with a smirk. “Because you get cuddles?”

“Mm, probably,” Peter sighed, snuggling up more. “Cuddles are nice.”

Tony wanted to bundle up the kid’s adorableness and innocence and share it with the world. “Yeah, they sure are,” Tony said, smiling and resting his head against Peter’s comfortably. A small comforted noise came from Peter as he snuggled even closer, yawning.

“Go to sleep, kid,” Tony said quietly, carding his fingers through Peter’s abundant curls.

Peter yawned again and nuzzled his head under Tony’s chin, causing a smile to break out on Tony’s face.

It must have been two minutes before Peter was out cold, still cuddled against Tony.

But Tony ended up falling asleep not too long after, comforted by the feeling of someone else being there, which always helped him sleep, making him feel really safe. 

After drifting off, he dreamt that he had a kid that night.

But when he woke up, he realized he already had one, and he was cuddled against his side, sleeping peacefully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i would die for sleepy peter <3<3<3
> 
> so, i probably won't have another chapter up in four days, cuz I have exams and work and stuff i need to worry about, but you never know. apologies in advance if that's the case.
> 
> I love you 3000, guys. Seeya soon <3


	14. lonely

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter gets lonely without Tony very easily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry this took so long!! all my exams are done, so i should be posting more!!

Peter wasn’t sure why he was so lonely with Tony on a business trip. 

May was home and his friends were around, but he felt suffocating loneliness every time he thought about it. Even though he didn’t know  _ why.  _ He knew he loved Tony unconditionally like he was his dad, so maybe that was it?

_ Oh god, he’s like my dad. _

Peter couldn’t help but call him after twenty four hours of being without him.

“Pete?”

Peter was embarrassed when tears went down his face. “Tony!”

“Hey kid,” Tony said, sounding happy. “How you doing?”

“I miss you,” Peter managed to say with an even tone. “I wanted to go to the lab today.”

“I’ll be back in two weeks, Pete,” Tony said. “And I miss you too. I miss my Peter hugs.”

Peter chuckled a little despite the tears rolling down his cheeks. “I’ll give you a huge hug when you come home.”

“Looking forward to it.”

Peter smiled and wiped away the tears on his cheeks with a sniffle.

“Are you crying?”

“What, no!” Peter laughed, lying, tears still falling from his eyes. “No.”

“Mm,” Tony mumbled skeptically. “You can go grab one of my hoodies if you miss me that terribly.” He meant it as a joke, but Peter was seriously considering it. “I have too many anyways.”

“Maybe I will,” Peter said, genuinely about to slap on his webshooters and go get one. 

“Okay, I gotta go, kid,” Tony said. “I’ll see you in two weeks. Call me whenever.”

“Okay, love you.”

“Love you too, punk.”

Peter was unbelievably ashamed with himself when he actually went to the compound and stole one of Tony’s many hoodies and slept with that on, trying not to cry like a freaking baby  _ again.  _

_ Is this separation anxiety? _

_ Is that what this is? _

It must have been nine days when Peter did break down crying over the phone and his face heated up insanely from embarrassment.

“Hey, hey,” Tony said gently. “Don’t cry, bud. It’s okay.”

“I just really miss you,” Peter whispered, trying to stop crying. 

“Five more days,” Tony said softly. “Just five days.”

A wet laugh left Peter’s mouth. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m crying. I think MJ talking about her period all the time is getting to me.”

Tony snorted. “It’ll be okay, Pete. Five days. Four sleeps, that’s it.”

“I’m such a loser,” Peter groaned, tears stopping. “I can’t believe I just cried.”

“It’s okay, don’t worry about it.”

Peter wiped his face. “Okay, I’ll see you in five days.”

“Yeah, bye, kiddo.”

“Bye, Tony.”

The line went dead and Peter was beyond embarrassed about breaking down. He just missed Tony  _ so much _ . He was so used to him always being around, used to the hugs and the cuddling and the laughing. 

When four days passed by painfully slowly, with Peter continuing to sleep in Tony’s hoodie, Peter woke up extremely anxious. Tony was supposed to get back around noon and it was only 8 in the morning. 

“I hate you, time,” Peter groaned, flipping off the time on his phone.

He decided to web to the compound and wait there. He watched two Star Wars movies and was about to die waiting.

Then his phone buzzed.

**Tony/ seeya in five kid**

Peter didn’t know what to do with himself for that five minutes and paced around on the ceiling, trying to pass time by scrolling through Instagram.

His heart stopped when he heard the door open.

Leaping down from the ceiling, Peter took off for the door, skidding to a stop. 

The second they locked eye contact, a huge smile flew over Tony’s face.

Peter broke into a sprint, making Tony smile even wider, tossing his bags aside and opening his arms.

When he was in arm’s reach, Peter launched himself into Tony’s arms, the billionaire catching him without a problem. Peter’s legs wrapped around Tony’s waist and his arms were thrown around his shoulders as he tucked his face in Tony’s neck.

And he grinned when Tony hugged back just as tightly.

Standing there for a minute, basking in each other’s comfort, Tony kissed Peter’s cheek and adjusted his arms to hug Peter tighter.

Trying his best not to cry  _ again, _ Peter murmured, “I missed you.”

“I missed you too, kiddo,” Tony whispered, tilting his head against Peter’s. “It’s been a hot minute.”

“Yeah,” Peter said, hugging Tony tighter. 

Eventually they broke free and Peter was met with a massive smile.

“I see you’re wearing my hoodie.”

Peter blushed hard. He forgot about that.

“Uhh, I . . .”

“It’s fine, you can have it,” Tony laughed, ruffling Peter’s hair. “God, I love embarrassing you. It’s hilarious.”

“Stoppp,” Peter fake-whined, covering his cheeks with his hands to hide the redness, only feeling it increase. “You know I blush. Just . . . just shush about it.”

“Mm, sorry, not gonna happen.”

Peter was about to respond but snapped his mouth shut when Tony reached out to hug him again, this time lifting him up himself so Peter could lock his legs around his waist again. Peter loved these kind of hugs so much.

“I feel like such a dad right now,” Tony mumbled.

Peter laughed, burying his face in Tony’s shoulder. “I’m okay with that.”

“Are you now?”

“Yeah, I am.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again, sorry for the wait.
> 
> hope you enjoyed <3


	15. wound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter cuts his hand accidently.

"I could go for some hot chocolate right about now," Peter said pensively, spinning a skinny screwdriver in between his fingers.

"Yeah same," Tony agreed, thoroughly bored of working. 

"To the kitchen and beyond!" Peter exclaimed, sprinting off.

Tony laughed and followed the bundle of energy and found him dumping milk into a pot, as per usual, powder resting a foot or so away from the element. There was still traces of milk dripping down the outside of one of the mugs from Peter not getting it all in, causing Tony to smirk a little and wrap his arms around Peter's shoulders in a hug from behind.

Peter giggled. "How am I supposed to make this if you're just gonna hug me to death?"

"Mm, I dunno," Tony said, tightening his hold. "I guess you'll just have to figure it out." He knew Peter loved hugs with a passion and definitely didn't care, and he found hugs growing on him after hugging Peter so often. 

Peter did eventually get all the powder in the pot and let it boil for a little, resting his head against Tony's shoulder comfortably.

"Okay, I gotta pour these things," Peter laughed, wriggling out from under Tony's arms. He poured half of the milky mixture into one of the cups and set that one aside before moving to the next.

Then, as Peter was lifting the second one to Tony, it slipped right out of his hands and shattered across the floor, making Peter shriek and jump onto the ceiling.

Tony really didn't care at all and was practically dying of laughter. "You jumped all the way onto the ceiling!" 

"Shit, Tony, I'm so sorry I didn't mean to I don't know how it slipped I'm sorry-"

"You're fucking Spider-Man and a slippery mug is your weakness!" Tony exclaimed, shrieking with laughter, mostly from the complete shock on Peter's face and how red it was getting. 

Peter hopped down from the ceiling and started to collect the shards of the mug into his hands and then yelped, jumping back.

Tony looked up, wiping laughter-tears out of his eyes and saw that the kid managed to cut himself on one of the shards and the dark red blood was beginning to drip off his hand. 

"Oh shit," Tony said, grabbing a dishcloth in one hand and Peter's bleeding one in the other before pressing the cloth over the long bleeding wound. 

"God, I'm so sorry," Peter said, practically in tears.

"Hey, it's fine, kid," Tony said with a gentle smile. "I don't care. Don't feel bad."

He looked up for a moment and his heart broke when he saw Peter's eyes welling up, his bottom lip trembling.

"Peter," Tony whispered. "It's okay."

Peter just nodded and bit down on his lip. 

"Let's get this cleaned up, okay?"

Peter nodded again and Tony wrapped an arm around his shoulders and lead him to the lab, avoiding the mess of hot chocolate which he'd deal with later. He grabbed some hydrogen peroxide, a bandage, and some cotton pads from the cabinet which he used plenty of times to deal with the many cuts he'd gotten working. 

"This is gonna sting like a bitch," Tony pre-cautioned and Peter laughed a little.

"You don't have to. I heal really fast," Peter said as Tony saturated a cotton pad in the chemical mixture and removed the dishcloth from Peter's hand.

"Good it stopped bleeding," Tony said, ignoring Peter's comment and very gently started to clean off the gnarly cut on the kid's hand.

Peter hissed and instinctively tried to pull away, but Tony kept his wrist in a firm grip and continued to clean the wound, trying to ignore how it hurt his heart to see his kid in pain. 

"Ow," Peter whimpered. "That does hurt."

"Yeah, it sucks," Tony agreed sympathetically and moved to the bandage and carefully pressed it over Peter's wound.

"I'm fine," Peter laughed, yanking his hand away and drawing it into his chest protectively. "It's the mess in the kitchen I'm worried about."

"Don't worry about it," Tony said, waving his hand dismissively and reached out to mess up Peter's hair. Peter jerked his head away and tried to fix his unruly locks with a fake pout. "You want a hug?"

Peter nodded. "Yeah, that would be nice."

Tony smiled and wrapped his kid in a strong hug, one hand on his back and the other in his hair, how he liked it. Peter nuzzled his head against Tony's chest and wrapped one arm around Tony's middle, the other one that held the injured hand hanging at his side. 

"I love your hugs," Peter sighed, pulling himself as close as he could with one arm. 

Tony smiled wider. "Glad you do, kiddo."

"Can we cuddle now?"

Tony snorted. "Sure."

He lead Peter to the couch with an arm around his shoulders and dragged them both onto the couch, Peter settling contently against his chest, flopped down like a sloth. Tony slung an arm around Peter's back and slid his other hand in his hair again. 

Peter sighed comfortably. "Thanks for not caring that I broke your mug."

"No problem," Tony chuckled. "I genuinely don't care, so don't worry about it."

"Thanks for hugging me."

"Again, no problem. Honestly, I like hugging you."

Peter smiled. "Thanks, Tony."

They both passed out in under ten minutes.

And Tony completely forgot about Rhodey coming down to visit from his trip.

-

The first thing he saw when he walked in was Tony with a kid on top of him, both sleeping on the couch.

And Rhodey just smirked, knowing that Tony would sell his soul to the devil for this kid. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!


	16. star-gazing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter has a nightmare and Tony takes him up to the roof for some star-gazing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love star-gazing

Tony had always gotten nightmares in his life. They only got worse after New York. They were most likely a result of some childhood trauma that his dad inflicted on him, but they sucked no matter what.

So the amount of empathy that went through his veins when he saw Peter standing at his doorway with tears pouring down his face at 1 am was unreal. 

“Pete?” Tony said softly. “Are you okay?”

Peter shook his head and let out a smothered sob.

“Come here, give me a hug. It’s gonna be okay.”

Sniffling, Peter slowly walked over to Tony’s bed and slid under the covers next to him, Tony gently pulling the kid into his chest and tightly wrapping his arms around his trembling form. “You’re okay, Pete. You’re safe.”

Peter whimpered and fisted the front of Tony’s shirt in his hands, tucking his head under the man’s chin, already starting to wet Tony’s shirt in tears but he couldn’t care less.

He felt so small and fragile with sobs rattling his figure and a strange paternal sensation came over Tony as he held him close, wanting nothing more than to take his pain away. 

It was an absolutely gorgeous night. There was no moon, only stars lit up the sky, and being out where there weren’t any street lights or anything, it was utterly stunning. And suddenly an idea came to Tony.

“Hey, kid, you wanna see something?”

“What?” Peter croaked, trying to clear his face of tears.

“C’mon,” he whispered, pulling the both of them into a sitting position. “Grab a blanket and a pillow, okay?”

“What are we doing?” Peter murmured, wiping the last of his tears away.

“Can you just do it?”

“O-kay,” Peter said, confused, gathering a fluffy blanket and pillow into his arms, Tony doing the same. 

“Follow me,” Tony said, standing and heading for the elevator down the hall. Peter followed close behind, extremely confused.

The elevator took them to the roof, where Tony dumped the stuff on the ground.

“Tony, what are we doing?” Peter asked.

“FRIDAY, lights off.”

“What-”

He stopped mid-sentence when the lights went out, revealing a sea of stars, glittering across the sky. Tony smiled at the kid’s awestruck expression, the specks of white reflecting in his wide eyes one of the purest things he’d ever seen.

“We don’t get stars like this in the city,” Peter breathed, dropping his pillow and settling down on it, wrapping a blanket around his shoulders. “This is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen in my freaking life.”

Tony chuckled, moving his pillow next to Peter’s. “Lie down. You’re gonna hurt your neck if you keep doing that.”

Eyes still glued to the sky, Peter shifted himself into a lying position next to Tony, tugging his blanket tighter around himself, even though it wasn’t cold in early June. Tony slid his arm under Peter’s neck and tugged him against his side, the kid nesting his head against Tony’s collarbone. Tony gently wiped a stray tear off Peter’s cheek and brushed come curls off his forehead, lightly kissing it momentarily after.

“What’s your star sign?” Peter asked softly.

“Gemini, what about you?”

“Virgo.”

“The constellation is right up there,” Tony said, pointing up. “You can see mine around there too.” The amount of nights he spent on the roof when we couldn’t sleep, just memorizing the different constellations and alignments of stars, was endless. 

Peter was quiet for a minute, just nuzzled against Tony, breathing evenly, before he spoke up. “Do you . . . um- do you get nightmares too?”

“Sure do,” Tony said. “They’ve gotten better, but at one point they were so bad I genuinely could not sleep. It was a really rough time.”

“Are you okay? Do you need a hug?”

Tony smiled, touched by Peter’s concern. “I’m okay, bud.”

“Mm,” Peter mumbled, snuggling into Tony more. “If you say so.”

“You gonna tell me what you dreamt about?” Tony asked softly, looking down at the kid cuddled against him. 

Even in the dark, Tony could see Peter’s cheeks reddening. “It’s stupid.”

“Not it upset you,” Tony said, moving his hand to cup Peter’s cheek. “I’m not gonna judge you, kiddo. Just tell me.”

Peter looked up at the stars, looked back down, and sighed. “I dreamt that- I dreamt that . . . that you died.”

“Oh, kid,” Tony whispered.

“And I know it’s not real but it felt so real and I thought . . .” He trailed off, burying his face back into Tony’s collarbone.

“You thought you lost me,” Tony finished quietly. “Kid, there’s nothing to be ashamed of. I’ve had dreams like that. Yeah, they suck, they suck majorly, but you have to get that they’re only in your head. I’m just fine.”

“Then how come it never feels that way?” Peter whispered in a very strangled voice.

Tony tightened his hold. “I wish I knew.”

There was a small sniffle and Tony felt a fear water droplets sink into his shirt. “Hey, hey. Don’t cry, Pete. It’s okay.”

“Sorry,” Peter sniveled.

“Kid,” Tony said with a light chuckle. “It’s okay.”

Peter eventually passed out, still tucked into Tony’s side, snoozing peacefully. Tony rested the side of his head against Peter’s, arms wrapped around his form as he stared at the stars.

“I love you, kid,” Tony whispered. “To death.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, first off, i love you guys.
> 
> second, i have no idea when the next update will come. i'm sorry if it takes a while.
> 
> third, HOLY FRIG far from home is TOMORROW i am dying.


	17. argument

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Peter have an argument.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> almost all healthy relationships have an argument at some point, so here's theirs.

“What do you mean I’m not allowed to go patrolling tonight?” Peter exclaimed.

“Peter, you got hurt last time and I do not want to think about that right now. You are still healing and you need to rest,” Tony said, managing to keep his voice neutral.

“The gunshot wound is almost completely gone-”

“But it was in fact a  _ gunshot wound, _ ” Tony said, spitting out each syllable slowly and like it tasted sour. “Do you have any idea of how terrifying some of those can be?”

“But I’m  _ fine, _ ” Peter said angrily. “Just let me go.”

“ _ No.  _ You are staying here and that is an order.” 

“You’re not my dad!”

That made the both of them freeze. 

Tony swallowed the lump in his throat and tried to smother the hurt. “I know I’m not your dad, but you are my responsibility while May is away and I’m telling you that you are not allowed to go.” How he kept calm, Tony said no idea.

Peter’s eyes flamed. “You can’t stop me!”

Tony stood straight up from where he was sitting and officially gave up on not letting his anger show. “I can stop you.”

Peter just clenched his teeth and stared Tony down for a solid five seconds. 

“I hate you,” he whispered.

“I’m sorry, you what?” Tony seethed.

“I- I f-fucking  _ hate  _ you!” Peter exploded.

Hurt coursed through Tony’s veins. “Yeah, well, right now you’re not my favourite person either.” He swallowed the lump in his throat. “FRIDAY, Peter is not allowed to leave the compound under any circumstances. Code 9181514.”

“I hate you!” Peter yelled. “I hate you!” He turned and stormed off to his room, kicking over a chair in the process.

“Real mature,” Tony shouted after him.

Peter just flashed a burning glare over his shoulder before he disappeared.

And the second Peter was out of earshot, Tony pressed his hand over his eyes to try to stop the onslaught of tears threatening to pour. “Great. Just . . . fantastic.”

“Peter will get over it quickly, Boss,” FRIDAY said. “He most likely did not mean what he said.”

Tony didn’t respond.  _ He hates me. He hates me. Hehatesmehehatesme- _

The billionaire gritted his teeth as a small sob broke free.

A few hours passed without a glimpse of Peter.

“FRIDAY, what’s Peter doing right now?”

“Peter is currently lying on his bed.”

“Is he crying?”

“Yes, very much so.”

“Well shit,” Tony muttered. “What do I do?”

“I recommend going to him and talking to him,” FRIDAY said. “He seems to have gotten over the mild fight that occured earlier and is now in a state of regret.”

Tony swallowed hard and forced himself to stand and let his feet take him to Peter’s room. His hand hovered in the air, about to knock on the door, for a whole minute before he sucked in a breath and gave the door a few knocks.

When there was no response, he quietly pushed it open.

“Pete?”

The kid was sitting on his bed with his knees tucked up into his chest. Once he heard his name, his face was lifted from his knees and Tony almost lost it when he saw how red and bruised and puffy his eyes were. He looked like he had cried for hours.

But he probably did.

Tony carefully shut the door behind him. “Kid, you okay?” Peter’s bottom lip quivered as he shook his head. “Christ, come here.”

For a second, Tony worried the kid was still mad and would refuse, but he knew that wasn’t the case when Peter bit his lip as he climbed off his bed.

Tony gently wrapped him in a hug the second he was close enough, and Peter immediately broke down and cried into Tony’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry!” he cried. “I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m-”

“Shh,” Tony interrupted, holding him tighter. “It’s okay, spiderling. I forgive you.”

Heartbreaking wails rattled Peter’s body. “I’m so stupid and I hurt you and I’m so sorry!”

“No, shh. It’s okay. It’s okay,” Tony soothed and any ounce of anger that remained was lost in an instant. “I told you I forgive you. Don’t worry about it.”

“If- if you hate me I understand-”

“No, god no,” Tony said, rubbing Peter’s back. “There is no universe where I could hate you. I love you so much, kid.”

“I don’t deserve it,” Peter sobbed and Tony’s eyes burned.

:”Yes, you do. More than anyone I’ve ever said that to.”

The tears came again at full force and that was all it took for Tony to scoop Peter into his arms and lay them both down in the bed, Peter’s face tucked into his neck.

Tony gently kissed his cheek. “Shh, don’t cry, baby.”

_ Baby. _

That was a new one.

It made this extreme parental warmth burst in his heart. 

Peter did manage to stop crying in a few minutes but still remained cuddled into Tony, who just wanted to make him feel alright.

“I know you don’t hate me, Pete,” Tony whispered. “I’m sorry if I said anything that hurt you.”

“I deserved it,” Peter sniffled. “After everything I said to you.”

“No, it’s okay,” Tony reassured. “We’re all good, kiddo.”

And Peter buried his face further into Tony’s neck as the billionaire hugged him tighter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i just rewatched The Impossible and I bawled my eyes out. it's so sad :(
> 
> hope y'all enjoyed <3


	18. fever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter gets a fever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all seem to really love sickfics so here's number three :)

“Hey, Tony, can I come over?” Peter said over the phone, oddly slurring the words.

“There’s this thing called school you know.”

“I know, I just . . . I don’t feel so good.”

“What are you sick?”

“I dunno.”

“Pete, are you sick?” When there was no response, Tony sighed. “Okay, I’m coming down to your apartment to make sure you’re not dying of the plague or something.”

“Will you?” Peter asked softly.

“Yes, I can’t have my kid suffering alone can I?”

“Your kid,” Peter whispered and Tony knew he was smiling.

“I’ll be there in a half hour, kiddo.”

“M’kay, seeya.”

Tony prepared a care package, containing a can of chicken-noodle soup which he was surprised he owned, three sleeves of saltine crackers, a can of gingerale, Tylenol, a thermometer, and a sleeve of tissues. The package rested on the passenger seat of the car as he drove up to Queens.

He knocked on the door with the large paper bag in the other hand.

And he couldn’t help but be a tad bit worried when Peter opened the door. Under his eyes and nose was red and his complection was pale, and his hand was shaking as it held open the door.

“Christ,” Tony muttered, immediately reaching out to wrap an arm around Peter’s shoulders for support. “You look like you’re about to topple over any second.”

“I feel like I’m about to topple over,” Peter said, his voice sounding congested. “What’s in the bag?”

“Just stuff to help get rid of whatever you’ve managed to get,” Tony said, leading Peter to his bedroom, dropping the paper bag on the couch.

Peter completely flopped onto his bed, covering his eyes with his arm.

“I’ll be right back. I’m grabbing a cloth,” Tony said.

“M’kay,” Peter mumbled.

After finding a clean dishcloth, Tony grabbed a large pot to fill with cold water to help bring Peter’s temperature down, since he felt like he was about to ignite at any second while he was holding him.

Tony returned to the bedroom with the pot in his hands and the cloth floating around in it. “Can you take your arm off your face, please?”

Peter obeyed and Tony started to gently wipe his sweaty forehead with the cloth, pushing his hair back with the other hand. Peter sighed, comforted, which caused a tiny smile to break out on Tony’s face.

“So what are your symptoms?”

“Nausea, headache, plugged nose, weakness, sore throat,” Peter said unhappily. “It sucks. I haven’t eaten today because my appetite decided to take a hike.”

“That happens to me too,” Tony said. “Where’s May at?”

“She’s working all day and night,” Peter responded. “There was some emergency at the hospital. She left me a note this morning.”

Tony thought about calling her, but he figured he could take care of a sick kid on his own. 

Once he was satisfied with the cloth, he tossed it back in the pot and moved his hand to cup Peter’s cheek, but almost jolted back.

“Christ, you’re on fire,” Tony said, pressing his hand against Peter’s forehead.

“Why thank you.”

Tony rolled his eyes and grabbed the cloth again, ringing it out and draping it over Peter’s forehead. It only took about two minutes for it to get warm.

Tony continued to do this for a while, squatting next to the bed, until he felt like Peter’s temperature was down a bit. “I’m gonna go grab the care package. Be right back.”

“No,” Peter said quickly, grabbing Tony’s arm as he was about to stand. “I’m fine, I just . . .”

“You what? What do you need?”

Peter bit his lip and looked down.

“Oh,” Tony said, smiling at the kid’s adorableness. “You want to be cuddled.”

“Yeah,” Peter said quietly, ducking his head. “That would be nice.”

“It’s fine, everyone wants cuddles when they’re sick, and you know I like cuddling you,” Tony said with a laugh. “I’m just gonna grab the stuff and take your temperature, okay? Then we can cuddle.”

“M’kay,” Peter said and rolled over.

Tony trode off to the living room, grabbed the bag, and headed back.

He gently rolled Peter back over, thermometer in hand. “Would you mind holding this under your tongue, please?”

The temperature came back as 102.8 degrees. 

“Damn, you’re seriously on fire,” Tony said, placing the item on Peter’s nightstand, then climbed into the tiny twin bed next to Peter, giving him the cuddles he wanted.

Peter melted into the affection, still a bundle of warmth. 

“So, just how sick do you feel?” 

“Terrible,” Peter muttered. “I wanna die.”

Tony snorted. “You’ll be just fine, kid.”

After a little while of cuddling, Tony declared he was going to make Peter some soup.

“But I don’t like soup,” Peter whined.

“I don’t want to upset your stomach, considering you said you were nauseous,” Tony said. “And you need to eat something.”

Peter groaned and threw a blanket over his head. “Fiiine.”

“If you can sleep, try to do that,” Tony said, leaving the room with the can he brought to heat it up.

After heating up a bowl and grabbing a water bottle from the fridge, Tony headed back to the room and handed the stuff to Peter.

“Thanks,” the kid said, sitting up and carefully eating the soup. He managed to drain about half of it before putting it on his nightstand. “It’s still gross.”

Tony smothered a laugh. “How dare you insult my cuisine.”

“There’s not talent that went into that.”

“You’ve just lost all cuddle priviledges.”

Peter pouted and rolled over.

“Oh my god, I’m kidding,” Tony laughed. “Move over.”

Peter shuffled over, smiling, and flopped onto Tony’s chest like a sloth the second he was lying down. Tony chuckled and wrapped his arms around Peter’s body.

In a few minutes, the rhythmic sighs coming from the pile of teenager indicated that Peter had fallen asleep right on Tony’s chest.

“Goddamn, you’ve got me trapped,” Tony laughed. But he couldn’t care less.

They laid there in silence. Tony thought about a bunch of stuff, listening to Peter’s breathing.

Then the kid started to whimper.

Tony craned his neck to look at his face. His eyebrows were scrunched up and his eyes were squeezed shut.

“No, stop,” Peter said in his sleep. “Don’t do it!”

“Pete, you’re dreaming,” Tony whispered, running his fingers through Peter’s hair. But he knew this was a fever dream, and a simple reassurance wasn’t going to do much if anything.

Then Peter started to cry and hs breathing picked up and whines echoed through the room.

It hurt tremendously to see his kid in pain. “Pete, wake up. It’s just a dream.”

“No!” Peter suddenly wailed, struggling and kicking at nothing. “No no no no no!”

“Peter, wake up!” Tony exclaimed, grabbing Peter’s shoulders and giving them a shake.

Peter eyes popped open and he flinched so hard he tumbled off the bed and immediately curled himself into a ball, tucking his knees into his chest.

Immense worry flooded through Tony as he knelt down next to the shaking ball on the floor, the poor kid still crying and yelling at nothing.

“Peter, it’s a dream, you’re safe,” Tony said, trying to be calm. Usually, saying his name snapped him out of it, but Peter continued to wail.

Tony wrapped him in an extremely tight hug with his entire body surrounding the kid’s curled up position, keeping him still while giving him comfort. “Shh, it’s okay.”

It must have been one horrible minute before Peter snapped out of it.

“Shh, everything is okay, you’re safe,” Tony soothed, already feeling the tears soak through his shirt. “You’re safe. Nothing is gonna hurt you.”

Still crying hard, Peter managed to choke out the most heartbreaking “I’m sorry” Tony had ever heard.

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Tony assured, stroking his hair.

Peter still remained curled up as Tony began to press light kisses on his hairline, trying to calm him down as best as possible.

It took a while for Peter to stop crying, but when he eventually did, he removed his face from Tony’s shirt and sniffled, his eyes bloodshot. Tony eyes the tears on his face with a soft from before reaching up to wipe them away, Peter’s cheeks still hot from the illness.

“Are you out of the dream?” Tony asked gently, cupping his cheeks.

“Yeah,” Peter whispered. “It- it really sucked.”

“I know, kid. Fever dreams are the worst.”

“I’ve never had one this bad,” Peter murmured.

“Well you’re really sick, kiddo,” Tony said, carefully pulling Peter to his feet. “Let’s get you back in bed.”

“What time is it?”

“Uhh . . . 1pm,” Tony informed, looking at the clock on the wall. “AKA time to sleep.”

Tony helped Peter back into his bed and reached down to grab the gingerale from the care package, which Peter seemed quite thrilled about.

“Ginge,” he said happily, taking the can.

“Ginge?” Tony questioned, raising a brow.

“Yeah. Me and Ned always call it that.” He popped open the can and took a sip. “Thanks, Tony.”

“No problem,” Tony said. “You still want cuddles or do you want to be left alone now?”

“I- I mean, if you still want to cuddle me . . .”

Tony smirked and climbed into bed next to him. Peter placed the “ginge” on the nightstand and completely snuggled into Tony with a comforted sigh. To Tony, the sheer contentment coming from the kid was why he liked to cuddle him so much, the nice safe feeling a bonus.

“Tony, I really appreciate this,” Peter said. “Thank you for taking care of me.”

“Of course, Spiderling. Any time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> goddamn I'm still thinking about FFH. it's so gooooood ahh.


	19. lonely II part one

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony has to leave again, this time for three weeks.

“So, kid,” Tony began, wiping his hands on a rag. “I feel like there’s something you should know.”

Peter looked up from his phone. “Mm?” 

“I’m gonna be going to Washington for a while starting Friday,” Tony said, gritting his teeth. It was Wednesday.

Peter’s face fell. He remembered the last time Tony left, how he broke down crying over the phone and discovered that what he was feeling was mild separation anxiety. “Oh. For how long?”

Tony sighed and drummed his fingers on the table. “For a while, kid. Like, three weeks. There’s a lot of things I need to deal with regarding the Rogue Avengers that I can’t do here.”

_ That’s a week longer than last time.  _

Peter’s heart hurt and he only managed to utter the tiniest “oh”.

“And look, I know we don’t really like being away from each other that much,” Tony said after a second. “I love you to death, kid, and I hate not seeing you for length periods of time, and to that I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Peter murmured. “You need to deal with stuff.”

Tony looked at him, concerned. “Kid, the last time I was away, you cried at the nine day mark. So you could say I’m worried.”

Peter’s cheeks heated up. “I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t be sorry,” Tony said quickly, touching Peter’s shoulder. “You can Face Time me every night and text me whenever.”

“I’m gonna miss coming here,” Peter said softly, already missing Tony even though he was right there and touching him. 

Then there was something being placed on his lap. It was one of Tony’s hoodies. The sentiment made tears spring into Peter’s eyes and he blinked hard to get rid of them. It was a black one with the MIT logo emblazoned on the chest, a few sizes too big but Peter couldn’t care less. 

“I already have one of your hoodies,” Peter whispered, trying to keep his emotions in check.

“I know, but you should have this one,” Tony said with a smile. “It’s my favourite so don’t lose it.”

Peter looked up at Tony, bottom lip trembling and eyes shining. Tony regarded him softly, and then gently wrapped his arms around Peter’s body, right hand in his hair and left hand wrapped around his back. Peter’s throat ached under the weight of unshed tears and he felt like he was about to explode at any given moment.

Standing there for a long time, Tony kept Peter secured against his chest while he hugged him, trying to give him all the comfort he wouldn’t be able to give while he was away. 

And when Friday came around, Peter was in no way ready.

Tony was supposed to leave at 6 in the morning, and Peter’s eyes blinked open to a dark room and a hand on his arm, gingerly awakening him. 

“I’m leaving in ten, kid,” Tony whispered. He was dressed in a three piece Tom Ford suit, something Peter hadn’t seen him wear in a while since he always dressed casually whenever they were spending time together.

Peter’s eyes burned as he pulled himself into a sitting position and reached out his arms childishly, desperately wanting a hug. Tony smiled softly and wrapped his arms tightly around Peter’s torso, drawing him as close as possible. 

Trying hard not to cry, Peter buried his face in Tony’s chest and hugged him tight. He wasn’t used to the material of the suit. Usually when they hugged, Peter’s face would be pressed against something soft like a t-shirt or a hoodie. 

And the weight of Tony leaving for nearly a month finally made tears roll down his cheeks and he hiccupped on a tiny sob.

“It’s okay, Pete,” Tony whispered. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

“Please stay,” Peter whimpered, hating how needy he sounded.

Tony tightened his hold. “I can’t, you know I can’t.”

“I know.”

“Just try not to miss me too much,” Tony said, trying to lighten the mood somewhat, but it just came out sounding sad. “Okay, kid. I gotta go. I’m sorry.”

Peter didn’t want to let go in any way, but he slowly pulled back his arms and looked at Tony’s eyes, who cupped his cheeks and brushed away his tears. “Go back to sleep if you can. FRIDAY told me you had a rough night.”

Sniffling, Peter nodded and the second Tony let go, he instantly missed the comfort.

“Bye, kiddo. I love you.”

“I love you too,” Peter whispered and covered his mouth to keep from sobbing as he watched Tony leave the room.

It must have been twenty seconds before Peter leapt out of the bed and sprinted down to where Tony’s car was picking him up, and bolted to get there before the man could leave.

Tony’s head snapped up and the sound of running and he barely had time to comprehend what was going on before Peter was tackling him in one last hug. But he instantly hugged him back.

“I gotta go, kid,” Tony whispered regretfully, rubbing Peter’s back. 

Peter nodded and pulled back, trying not to cry  _ again. _

He watched the car drive away with an empty feeling.

 

Peter couldn’t get to sleep after Tony left even though he only got three hours maximum last night. He slid on Tony’s hoodie and distracted himself by heading home to watch movies with May, but he just felt so sad and wanted to cry. 

May tried to help by cuddling him to her side, and it did kind of, but Peter was still sad. 

He went to sleep that night still feeling empty.

_ Just three weeks,  _ he told himself.  _ Stop being a child. You can do this. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had some forms of separation anxiety in my life, and it can be really difficult to get through


	20. lonely II part two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The reunion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i’m deciding to end this here! i hope it’s satisfying :)

The night after Tony left, Peter’s phone started to buzz with a FaceTime call from him.

_ Oh god, don’t cry,  _ he told himself, answering the call.

A smile immediately broke out on Tony’s face. “Kid!”

Peter smiled back. “Hi, Tony. How you doing?”

“Alright, how bout you?”

“Been better,” Peter admitted softly. “I already miss you.”

Tony smiled sadly. “Yeah. I miss you too.”

“I can’t believe you’re gonna be gone for so long.”

“God, I don’t  _ want  _ to be here for three weeks straight,” Tony groaned. “I want my Peter hugs.”

Peter huffed what was half a laugh and half a sob, tears already building in his eyes. “You’ll get some when you come back.”

“Looking forward to it.”

They hung up after ten minutes, and Peter curled into a fetal position to cry into his knees. He wanted Tony to be there with him in his bed to comfort him and it only made him cry harder.

But what he didn’t know was that Tony was lying in his bed right at that moment, wishing Peter was there with him.

 -

Tony really missed seeing Peter all the time.

His bubbly, bright personality was what he needed right about now. He  _ hated  _ having to talk to Steve. Hated having to look into his damn blue eyes and be reminded of the look in then when he admitted to knowing about Barnes killing his parents, and the look when he drove his shield into his chest piece. There was no pity, no remorse, just pure rage and determination and it scared the shit out of Tony.

Yes, there were several panic attack involved with this whole ordeal and overall, and Tony was not enjoying himself.

But thank the lord Rhodey was there with him, or else he probably would have lost his mind.

“So what’s the story with the kid?” Rhodey asked at the three day mark.

Tony looked up from his Starkpad. “Peter?”

“Yeah. You guys seem really close.”

Tony couldn’t help himself from smiling a little. “He’s the best.”

“Saw you two cuddling when I last visited,” Rhodey said with a smirk.

Tony’s brows furrowed. “You did? When?”

“I don’t know, he you were both sleeping on the couch. He was lying on top of you.”

“Oh, so that’s when you came,” Tony muttered. “Yeah. That’s become a thing now. Cuddling.”

“It’s a good look on you, Tones,” Rhodey said, fully smiling now. “With a kid.”

Tony huffed a laugh. “Thanks, Rhodes. God, I just . . . I don’t like the idea of being away from him for three weeks. Kid gets a bit of separation anxiety.”

“Do you?”

“Do I what?”

“Get separation anxiety?”

Rhodey watched him expectantly while Tony tried to figure out something to say for a solid ten seconds. “I guess,” he managed. “I’ve grown so accustom to having him over all the time and hugging him and such. And you know I’ve not been that good about hugs or any of that stuff, but for some reason with Peter it just feels normal.” He never thought he’d be telling Rhodey, let alone anyone, about this internal train of thought he always had running.

Nodding, Rhodey said, “I think you just feel like his dad at this point.”

Tony swallowed hard. “But here’s the uh, minor issue about that.” Rhodey leaned forward in his chair.  _ Oh god, here we go.  _ “I don’t want to end up like my dad.”

Immense empathy entered Rhodey’s eyes. “Tony, you’re not your dad. You never could be. You would never do anything to hurt Peter.”

“I know,” Tony said quietly. “But it’s still in the back of my brain.”

Rhodey smiled sadly. “From what I saw, I don’t think there’s any way that could happen.”

“Thanks,” Tony whispered. “God, this kid is making me go soft.”

The sad smile turned into a smirk. “It’s good for you.” He paused for a second. “Do you want a hug since Peter’s not here for that?”

_ Please _ . “Sure.”

Rhodey stood, crossed the room, and wrapped Tony in a hug when he stood. It had been a while since they last hugged. And Tony realized that he really did miss his best friend terribly when he wasn’t around the moment he closed his eyes and relished the hug.

-

It has officially been eleven days since Tony left, two days past the breaking point for Peter the last time he was gone, and he was pretty sure he was going to develop depression before Tony got back. 

His finger hovered over the ‘call’ button, hesitating because he was most likely going to cry at any moment. But he wanted to talk to Tony, and decided on a phone call rather than a FaceTime call in case he did cry.

Tony answered on the second ring. “Hey, Pete.”

_ No crying, Peter.  _ “Hi! How’s Washington going?”

“I don’t wanna be here,” Tony sighed. 

“I know you don’t like being around the Rogue Avengers . . . um, are things with them alright?”

There was a beat of hesitation. “About as good as things could be, I suppose.”

“And Steve?” Peter asked softly.

Tony didn’t say anything.

“I’m sorry,” Peter whispered.

“Don’t be sorry,” Tony said. “I’m fine.”

“I miss you so much,” Peter croaked, his throat aching as he tried not to cry. “I want you to come home.”

“I want to come home too,” Tony said quietly. “And I wish I could. You been wearing my hoodie?”

Peter managed to squeak the tiniest “yes” before tears fell down his cheeks, dripping off his chin and landing on Tony’s hoodie. He tried to wipe them away but more kept falling. He sniffled and brought the collar of the hoodie up to cover his face. 

“Hey, hey,” Tony said gently. “It’s okay, bud.”

Peter hiccupped. “I’m- I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“Nothing’s wrong with you. You just miss hard. That’s okay.”

Peter tried to wipe his face again. “I’m probably pestering you, I should go--”

“No, you’re not,” Tony interrupted. “It’s alright.”

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” Peter sniveled and hung up before Tony could protest.

He let out a loud sob and buried his face in the hoodie’s sleeves. 

 

The ten days were long and painful and sad, but they did pass, and soon, the last day of Tony’s trip came.

He was coming home  _ in a few hours. _

Happy was going to drive him to the airport so they could pick Tony up.

And Peter could not have been more happy and anxious.

The weight of which he missed Tony almost sent him into another round of crying in the car ride there.

“The flight lands in twenty minutes,” Happy informed, looking at his phone. 

Peter smiled widely. “Cool. I’ll wait outside.”

“Gor for it.”

The twenty minutes passed excruciatingly slowly, but it was all worth it when he saw the plane land in the runway. Peter bounced eagerly on the balls of his heels as the plane slowed to a stop.

He was with Rhodey and was dressed in a shirt and a jacket and jeans, and his suitcase was gripped losely in his hand.

“Tony!” he practically shrieked, bursting into an embarrassingly fast run. 

Tony immediately threw his suitcase to the ground and opened his arms. Rhodey gave him a little smirk and stepped aside and Peter could have been a little embarrassed about that, but at this point he could not care less.

_ Tony Tony Tony. _

He threw his arms around his  ~~ father  ~~ mentor, jumping into his hold, in the tightest hug he’d ever experienced, wrapping his legs around his waist. He didn’t want to cry in front of the colonel, but then realized he simply didn’t care, and let the tears fall through squeezed shut eyes. 

“Hey, bud.”

“I missed you so much.” Peter dissolved into sobs, pressing his face further into Tony’s shoulder. 

“Shh, it’s okay.” Tony rubbed Peter’s back. “I missed you too.”

It must have been a whole minute before Peter unwrapped his legs and lowered to the ground. Tony and Rhodey had just made eye contact, who smiled at the adorableness in front of them.

“Hi, Mr. Rhodes,” Peter squeaked, wondering if all the tears had wiped off on Tony’s suit.

“Hi, Peter,” Rhodey said with a smile. “Nice to see you.”

Peter smiled shyly and ducked his head. “Thanks.”

Tony picked up his suitcase wrapped an arm around Peter’s shoulders and started to guide him to the car. 

Peter looked at Happy the very second the man looked at Tony and mouthed “aww.”

“Rhodey, you want shotgun? I’m gonna sit back here with the kid.”

A heated blush rose on Peter’s cheeks. 

“Sure.”

When they got to the Compound, Rhodey retreated to his room to unpack his things and Happy headed to the kitchen, leaving Peter and Tony in the front entrance alone.

“Alright, get in here,” Tony said, opening his arms. “We can do this properly now.”

And Peter couldn’t have fell into a hug more. 

He nuzzled the side of his head against Tony’s shoulder and melted into the affection completely, beyond glad Tony was home. 

Neither made a move to break away, just standing there, giving each other the comfort they missed out on. 

“I think that was the longest three weeks of my life,” Peter mumbled, closing his eyes.

“I missed you tons, kid,” Tony said softly.

Peter bit back tears. “God, me too.”

The hug probably lasted around five whole minutes, but it was the best hug Peter ever had in his life.

Peter took this time to remember everything that happened with them. The Red Bull incident, the nightmares, the illnesses, comfort and hugs, cuddling, stargazing, wisdom teeth removal, wiping away tears, laughter, sadness, and so much more.

He loved Tony unconditionally, like he remembered loving Ben. And he still missed Ben terribly, but Tony being around was an amazing saving grace, a father-figure he desperately needed in such sad times. Someone who he could cry on and talk to about all his insecurities and troubles and who would not judge him for any of it.

He needed Tony.

And from all that had happened that year, he was pretty sure Tony needed him too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, what did everyone think? <3
> 
> I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart. the response to this fic has been so, so amazing. you are all amazing and i love you 3000
> 
> edit 10/07/19: god, after my best friend moved to victoria and then I got to see him again for the first time in one month was so fucking amazing. i miss him already. and i genuinely now relate to peter so much in this chapter. anyways i guess what i'm trying to say is that you gotta stay strong because when they come back, it's the most amazing feeling in the world. my bestie got a tackle of a hug.


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